The Book of Revelation

The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Revelation for the Church Today

An Exegetical and Nouthetic Commentary

Christopher A. Perry

Greek translation based on The Greek New Testament (SBLGNT). Scripture quotations marked SBLGNT are from the The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software.

A NOTE TO THE READER Thank you for using this commentary in your work to understand the teachings of the Book of Revelation. I’m grateful for your commitment to know God and know Him through His Word.

If you are reading this commentary for the first time, you will notice typos and format problems in the document. Why? Time constraints. As a full-time counselor, I see an average of 25-35 clients per week. My caseload consists of people with mood disorders, personality disorders, PTSD, C- PTSD, addictions, anxiety and depression disorders, marriage problems, and people with suicidality or self-harm behaviors, etc. For me, being a pastor is more about a ministry of healing than it is about networking and special event planning. Serving people as a counselor is a privilege and responsibility that bears the grace and love of Jesus. At times it is exhausting, really exhausting. However, it’s always full of His grace and hope. Jesus has called me to bring healing to hurting and damaged people. Did I mention time constraints?

Because my time for research and writing is limited and I don’t have the luxury of an editor, this document will have lots of typos and format problems such as the lack of ibids in the footnotes. I am aware that I am not strictly applying all the criteria for MLA, Turabian, or APA standards. It will be immediately apparent that I use an outline format. I do this because of my linear reasoning tendencies and my need to use this information as a key resource for teaching specific aspects of the truth of God’s Word on Wednesdays and Sundays. If you detect a reference is not cited properly or if you have sources that will enhance the presentation of the historical, linguistic, and theological background of this work, please email me at [email protected]

You will notice that this document is profoundly dependent on the discipline and brilliant work of scholars such as David Aune, Gregory Beale, William Mounce, Ben Witherington, and several others. I am not a scholar. I see myself as a reporter of the wisdom and insight of scholars I am deeply indebted to.

“6 Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! 7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”

- Psalm 4:6-8

Your understanding and kindness are appreciated.

Grace and peace,

Christopher A. Perry Christ Church of Central Arkansas 9732 Maumelle Blvd North Little Rock, AR 72113 www.discoverchristchurch.com www.gracecounselingclinic.com

GENERAL INTRODUCTION1 1. Genre: The Origins of apocalyptic and the kind of writing we discover in Revelation. a. Understanding the purpose of genre is critical to interpreting the text of scripture. “This is because genre is defined by the conventions that a writer uses and that a reader needs to follow in order to make sense of a text in the way the writer intended. This may include the nature of the vocabulary and grammar used, sentence structure, even the medium of writing originally employed – think of the difference in presentation between a letter from a lover and a bank manager! The important thing about genre is that different genres require different approaches to interpretation.”2 b. “Revelation is classified as ‘apocalyptic’ literature. The term comes from the Greek word of self-description in Revelation 1:1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) but interestingly this is the only place within ‘apocalyptic’ literature where the term occurs.”3 c. The “origins of this kind of writing (apocalyptic), lie in the Old Testament prophets. Revelation has been called ‘the climax of prophecy.’”4 d. In the Old Testament, apocalyptic writing in found in: i. Isaiah (Isaiah 1; 2; 6; 11; 13; 65). ii. Daniel (7-9). iii. Ezekiel (1; 37; 40). e. Other Jewish writings consider as apocalyptic: i. 4 Ezra (AKA 2 Esdras 3-14) ii. 2 Baruch. f. Summary on Genre: i. John J. Collins, “‘Apocalypse’ is a genre of revelatory literature with a narrative framework, in which a revelation is mediated by an other worldly being to a human recipient, disclosing a transcendent reality which is both temporal, insofar as it envisages eschatological salvation, and spatial, insofar as it involves another, supernatural world.”5 2. Context: The historical context of Revelation and how this affects our reading. 3. Author a. Internal evidence: i. Revelation 1:1, “and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant, John.” ii. Revelation 1:4, “John…” iii. Revelation 1:9, “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation…” iv. Revelation 22:8, “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things…”

1 I rely significantly on the work of I. Howard Marshall, Stephen Travis, and Ian Paul, in Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 305-328. 2 Marshall, I. Howard, Stephen Travis, and Ian Paul, in Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 306-07. 3 Marshall, I. Howard, Stephen Travis, and Ian Paul, in Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 306. 4 Marshall, I. Howard, Stephen Travis, and Ian Paul, in Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 306. 5 Collins, John J. “Introduction: Towards the Morpholgy of a Genre” in Semeia 14, 1979, p. 9. 3

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. External evidence: i. Justin Martyr (b 100 and d 165), writes, “‘The day of the Lord is as a thousand years,' is connected with this subject. And further, there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and judgment of all men would likewise take place.” (Justin Martyr. Dialogue with Trypho, CHAPTER LXXXI). c. Ancient testimony: i. Justin Martyr (b 100 and d 165 AD), “"For Isaiah spake thus concerning this space of a thousand years: 'For there shall be the new heaven and the new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, or come into their heart; but they shall find joy and gladness in it, which things I create. For, Behold, I make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and My people a joy; and I shall rejoice over Jerusalem, and be glad over My I people. And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, or the voice of crying. And there shall be no more there a person of immature years, or an old man who shall not fulfil his days. For the young man shall be an hundred years old; but the sinner who dies an hundred years old, he shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and shall themselves inhabit them; and they shall plant vines, and shall themselves eat the produce of them, and drink the wine. They shall not build, and others inhabit; they shall not plant, and others eat. For according to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people; the works of their toil shall abound. Mine elect shall not toil fruitlessly, or beget children to be cursed; for they shall be a seed righteous and blessed by the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will hear; while they are still speaking, I shall say, What is it? Then shall the wolves and the lambs feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent[shall eat] earth as bread. They shall not hurt or maltreat each other on the holy mountain, I saith the Lord.' Now we have understood that the expression used among these words, 'According to the days of the tree[of life] shall be the days of my people; the works of their toil shall abound' obscurely predicts a thousand years. For as Adam was told that in the nay fie ate of the tree he would die, we know that he did not complete a thousand years. We have perceived, moreover, that the expression, 'The day of the Lord is as a thousand years,' is connected with this subject. And further, there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and judgment of all men would likewise take place. Just as our Lord also said, 'They shall neither marry nor be given in

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 marriage, but shall be equal to the angels, the children of the God of the resurrection.'”6 ii. Eusebius (b 264 and d 339). Church History, Chapter XVIII.—The Apostle John and the Apocalypse. “1. It is said that in this persecution the apostle and evangelist John, who was still alive, was condemned to dwell on the island of Patmos in consequence of his testimony to the divine word. 2. Irenæus, in the fifth book of his work Against Heresies, where he discusses the number of the name of Antichrist which is given in the so- called Apocalypse of John, speaks as follows concerning him: 3. “If it were necessary for his name to be proclaimed openly at the present time, it would have been declared by him who saw the revelation. For it was seen not long ago, but almost in our own generation, at the end of the reign of Domitian.” 4. To such a degree, indeed, did the teaching of our faith flourish at that time that even those writers who were far from our religion did not hesitate to mention in their histories the persecution and the martyrdoms which took place during it. 5. And they, indeed, accurately indicated the time. For they recorded that in the fifteenth year of Domitian Flavia Domitilla, daughter of a sister of Flavius Clement, who at that time was one of the consuls of Rome, was exiled with many others to the island of Pontia in consequence of testimony borne to Christ.”7 iii. Irenaeus (b 130 and d 202 AD). d. John the Seer, “is a prophet from the Johannine community operating at a time when there is apparently no apostolic presence left in that community (see Revelation 22:14, which views apostles as a foundation of the church, apparently in the past).”8 e. Aune: “The otherwise unknown author of Revelation in its final form was probably a Palestinian Jew who had emigrated to the Roman province of Asia, perhaps in connection with the first Jewish revolt in AD. 66-70. He regarded himself as a Christian prophet and his composition as a prophetic book, and he was well acquainted with the Christian congregations in Roman Asia to which he addressed the final version of his book.”9 f. “There is very strong early testimony (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus) that this John was John the Apostle, who also wrote the Gospel and three letters.”10 4. Date of writing a. Ancient testimony: i. Irenaeus (5.30.3), “It is therefore more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfilment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises, and casting about for any names that may present themselves, inasmuch as many names

6 Justin Martyr. Dialogue with Trypho, CHAPTER LXXXI -- HE ENDEAVOURS TO PROVE THIS OPINION FROM ISAIAH AND THE APOCALYPSE. Source: http:// earlychristianwritings.com/text/justinmartyr- dialoguetrypho.html 7 Eusebius, Church History. 3.18.3. Chapter XVIII.—The Apostle John and the Apocalypse. Source: http:// www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.viii.xviii.html 8 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 3. 9 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. lvi. 10 Elwell, Walter A. and Robert W. Yarbrough. Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), p. 376. 5

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 can be found possessing the number mentioned; and the same question will, after all, remain unsolved. For if there are many names found possessing this number, it will be asked which among them shall the coming man bear. It is not through a want of names containing the number of that name that I say this, but on account of the fear of God, and zeal for the truth: for the name Evanthas (Euanqas) contains the required number, but I make no allegation regarding it. Then also Lateinos (Lateinos) has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule: I will not, however, make any boast over this [coincidence]. Teitan too, (Teitan, the first syllable being written with the two Greek vowels e and i), among all the names which are found among us, is rather worthy of credit. For it has in itself the predicted number, and is composed of six letters, each syllable containing three letters; and [the word itself] is ancient, and removed from ordinary use; for among our kings we find none bearing this name Titan, nor have any of the idols which are worshipped in public among the Greeks and barbarians this appellation. Among many persons, too, this name is accounted divine, so that even the sun is termed "Titan" by those who do now possess [the rule]. This word, too, contains a certain outward appearance of vengeance, and of one inflicting merited punishment because he (Antichrist) pretends that he vindicates the oppressed. And besides this, it is an ancient name, one worthy of credit, of royal dignity, and still further, a name belonging to a tyrant. Inasmuch, then, as this name "Titan" has so much to recommend it, there is a strong degree of probability, that from among the many [names suggested], we infer, that perchance he who is to come shall be called "Titan." We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian's reign.”11 b. Witherington dates the letter “during the reign of Domitian.”12 c. Elwell and Yarbrough argue for the late date, the time of Domitian, AD 95.13 d. Aune argues for a late date e. Beale argues for a date f. Arguments for the early date: i. The early date under the reign of Emperor Nero (54-68 AD), about AD 65- 68. ii. Revelation 11:1-2, and the reference to the temple of God. iii. The enumeration of the number of the beast (666) clearly indicates Nero as .(NRON QSR ורנ ן רסק ) the intended man

11 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, 5.30.3. Source: http:// earlychristianwritings.com/text/irenaeus-book5.html 12 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 5. 13 Elwell, Walter A. and Robert W. Yarbrough. Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), p. 376. 6

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iv. The enumeration of the seven kings in Revelation 17:9-10, makes Nero the fifth or sixth, Galba the sixth or seventh, and Otho the seventh or eighth (depending on starting with Julius or Augustus), suggests a date shortly after Nero’s death but before Rome conquered Jerusalem by AD 70. g. Arguments for the late date: i. The late date under Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD), about AD 95. ii. Irenaeus of Lyons (b 130 and d 202), writes, “We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian's reign.” This testimony is important. Irenaeus was a student of Polycarp (AD 60-155), the bishop of Smyrna, who was discipled by John himself. iii. Eusebius regards the statement of Irenaeus as authoritative. iv. The “healing of the moral wound” (Revelation 13:12), may point clearly to the accession of Vespasian, since the reigns of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius were a period of civil war when Rome was shaken at the very foundations (see 4 Ezra 12:17-18). “Healing” came with the establishing of a new Roman dynasty with Vespasian. v. Christianity needed time to spread to Asia Minor, i.e., regarding the seven churches addressed in Revelation, five are not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. vi. Naming Rome Babylon best suits a post-70 date. vii. The onset of a weakening faith among believers and defecting from the church implies a later date. 5. Place of writing a. Patmos. The island of Patmos was “no prize to live on. Like other Islands, it was probably used as a penal colony by the Romans. It is possible that John was among the social elite, since the elite tended to be exiled for their crimes, whereas the nonelites of society were simply executed (see Eusebius, His. Eccl. 3.17-2-; 4.27- 9).”14 Adela Yarbro Collins writes, “Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology. Prophecy was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with political implications, like that expressed by John in the book of Revelation, would have been perceived as a threat to Roman political power and order. Three of the islands in the Sporades were places where political offenders were banished (Pliny, Natural History 4.69–70; Tacitus, Annals 4.30).”15 6. Literary Genre: a. What is the literary genre of Revelation?

14 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 9. 15 Adela Collins. (1985). "Patmos" [In] Paul J. Achtemeier [Ed.]. (1985) Harper's Bible Dictionary. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row. p. 755. 7

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Revelation is an epistle (letter). See Revelation 1-3 (1:4-6; 22:21). As such, Revelation is not necessarily a “code to be cracked; it is a proclamation that needs to be heard and obeyed.” - Introducing the NT, Its Literature and Theology, (2001, p. 558). ii. Revelation is Apocalypse. See Revelation 4-20. iii. Revelation is Early Christian Prophecy. See Revelation 21-22. (1:3; 22:6-7, 18-19). b. Examples of Old Testament Apocalypses: i. Isaiah (Isaiah 1; 2; 6; 11; 13; 65). ii. Daniel (7-9). iii. Ezekiel (1; 37; 40). iv. See also 4 Ezra (AKA 2 Esdras 3-14) and 2 Baruch. c. Examples of (non-canonical) Christian Apocalypses: i. The Ascension of Isaiah. ii. The Shepherd of Hermas. iii. The Apocalypse of Peter (this work influenced Dante’s Divine Comedy). d. Other 7. The function purpose of the Book of Revelation. a. According to Bauckham, “In the first place, John’s work is a prophetic apocalypse in that it communicates a disclosure of a transcendent perspective on this world. It is prophetic in the way it addresses a concrete historical situation – that of Christians in the Roman province of Asia towards the end of the first century AD – and brings to its readers a prophetic word of God, enabling them to discern the divine purpose in their situation and respond to their situation in a way appropriate to this purpose.”16 8. Other

HERMENEUTICS AND THE TOOLS OF INTERPRETATION 1. Common ways of interpreting the Book of Revelation are as follows: a. PRETERISM:17 “The preterist approach, also called the ‘contemporary-historical (zeitgeschichtlich), is the most common today.”18 The preteristic interpretation “limits Revelation to describing the persecution of Christianity by ancient Rome and to what was expected to happen by way of the destruction of the Roman Empire and the vindication of Christians at the supposedly near return of Christ.”19 “The preterist interpretation understands the Apocalypse from the standpoint of its first-century historical setting.”20 “The symbols in the visions all refer to people, countries, and events in the world of that day, and John’s purpose is to show his readers how God is about to bring judgment on that world that is opposing them, and so deliver them into his eternal kingdom.”21 Preterists “hold that the major

16 Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) (p. 7). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition. 17 The word preter, is from the Latin praeter meaning past, by, beyond. From Latin root prae meaning before. 18 Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 482. 19 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 460. 20 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 26-27. 21 Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 482. 8

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 prophecies of the book were fulfilled either in the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) or the fall of Rome (AD 476).”22 i. Problems: This view is problematic because Jesus “did not return quickly, though the Roman Empire did fall and Christianity did continue.”23 ii. “The decisive victory portrayed in the latter chapters of the Apocalypse was never achieved. It is difficult to believe that John envisioned anything less than the complete overthrow of Satan, the final destruction of evil, and the eternal reign of God.”24 b. HISTORICISM: During the Middle Ages, church believed “the millennium was about to dawn. To buttress their beliefs, they found in Revelation a sketch of history from the time of Christ to their own day. This approach (the kirchengeschichtlich) was popular with the Reformers also, enabling them to identify the beast in the Revelation with the papacy.”25 The historical interpretation “interprets Revelation as a symbolic pre-narration of church history from apostolic times until the Second Coming [of Christ] and the Last Judgment. Thus, the breaking of the seven seals represents the fall of the Roman Empire, locusts from the bottomless pit stand for Islamic invaders, the beast represents the papacy (according to Protestant Reformers), and so on.”26 Mounce states, in the historicist interpretation, the Apocalypse is “a forecast of the course of history leading up to his own time,”27 or the time of the contemporary reader/hearer. i. Problems: 1. “The subjectivity of this approach is underscored by the fact that no essential agreement can be found between major proponents of the system.”28 2. “It is antecedently doubtful that the Spirit of God would be concerned to inform the apostolic church with a rather detailed picture of events lying beyond their own time and having only a remote bearing on the consummation of the age.”29 c. FUTURISM: In a “consistently futurist (or endgeschichtlich) approach holds that everything in the Revelation from chapter 4 to the end finds its fulfillment in the very last days of human history.”30 The futuristic interpretation “holds that Revelation describes a coming painful and chaotic time called ‘the Tribulation’ immediately followed by the return of Christ, the advent of God’s kingdom, the Last Judgment, and the eternal state. Futurists usually calculate the Tribulation, or Daniel’s seventieth week (Dan. 9:24-27), as seven years in length, with perhaps only the latter three and one-half years intensely distressing.”31 Furthermore,

22 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 27. 23 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 460. 24 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 27. 25 Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 482. 26 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 460-61. 27 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 27. 28 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 27. 29 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 27. 30 Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 482-83. 31 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 461. 9

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Futurists “usually hold to the premillennial view that upon his return Christ will rule the world with the saints for one thousand years, crush a satanically inspired rebellion at the close of this millennium, and preside at the Las Judgment before the eternal state begins.”32 “Many futurists (especially dispensationalists) regard everything from Revelation 4:1 on as belonging to a period of time yet future.”33 In this interpretation, “the letters to the seven churches are often held to represent the successive ages of church history that lead up to the rapture of the church in 4:1 (symbolized by the transport of the Seer that follows the heavenly summons, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this’).”34 i. Problems: The “major weakness with this position is that it leaves the book without any particular significance for those who are addressed.”35 d. IDEALISM: The idealist interpretation or also known as timeless-symbolic,36 removes “the symbolic language of an predictive value and reduces the prophecy to a picture of the continuous struggle between good and evil, the church and paganism, and of the eventual triumph of Christianity.”37 “The idealist approach views that “the symbolism [of Revelation] is designed to help us understand God’s person and ways with the world in a general way.”38 In this interpretation “Revelation is not to be taken in reference to any specific events but has an expression of those basic principles on which God acts throughout history.”39 The Apocalypse “is thus a theological poem setting forth the ageless struggle between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness”40 in rather allegorical language. “Revelation, then, teaches us ‘the action of great principles and not special incidents [or actual historical events].”41 i. Problem: This interpretation “denies to the book any specific historical fulfillment. There exists no necessary consummation of the historical process.”42 2. Understanding the Rapture of the Church in the Book of Revelation: a. Review i. Vocabulary: 1. Rapture. The word rapture means, to be taken up. This word is not found in the bible. The Latin Vulgate translates the Greek ἁρπαγησόμεθα (ἁρπάζω) as rapiemur meaning “we are caught up” or “we are taken away” from the Latin verb rapio meaning “to catch up” or “take away”. The term caught up is ἁρπάζω and literally means to be seized or grabbed away. See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those

32 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 461. 33 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 28. 34 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 28. 35 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 28. 36 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 28. 37 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 460. 38 Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 483. 39 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 28. 40 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 28. 41 Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 483. 42 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 29. 10

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” See 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, “50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” 2. Tribulation. See 1175–1225; Middle English < Latin trībulātiōn- (stem of trībulātiō) distress, trouble, equivalent to trībulāt(us) (past participle of trībulāre to press, squeeze, derivative of trībulum threshing sledge, equivalent to trī- , variant stem of terere to rub, crush + -bulum noun suffix of instrument) + -iōn- -ion. ii. According to Gundry, “Disagreement exists among futurists (or premillennialists) over whether the nation of Israel will enjoy restoration during the Tribulation and the Millennium (cf., dispensationalism) and whether the church will stay on earth throughout the Tribulation (posttribulationism), will be evacuated from the earth by a preliminary coming of Christ before the Tribulation (pre-tribulationism), or at its halfway mark (mid-tribulationism), or whether only the godly part of the church will be evacuated beforehand (partial rapturism).”43 iii. “Most futurists hold either to pretribulationism or to posttribulationism.”44 iv. Also, “the more strictly an interpreter separates God’s dealing with the church from his dealings with Israel, the more inclined that interpreter is to see the church removed from the Tribulation.”45 v. Gundry argues, “Entire loss (or nearly so) of a distinction between the church and Israel usually results in Historicism, so that it becomes meaningless to ask whether the Rapture will occur before, during, or after the Tribulation.”46 b. The Rapture in Revelation

43 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 461. 44 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 461. 45 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 461. 46 Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, third edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 461-62. 11

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Pretribulation Rapture: Christ will come for his saints; afterward he will come with his saints. This first stage of Christ’s coming is called the Rapture; the second is called the revelation.47 1. Arguments for: a. 1 Thessalonians 1:10, God has destined us to wrath. b. Revelation 3:10, we are protected from the hour of testing. c. A two stage process (rapture and revelation) are clearly distinct. d. Focus: Imminence. 2. Arguments against: a. Christians are exempt from God’s wrath but not from suffering or tribulation. b. Rev 3:10, is misapplied. This is specifically to the church of Philadelphia and refers to an hour and not a 7.5 year period of time. You can’t force the word “ek” or “out of” here. c. The NT speaks of one second coming and not two. d. Focus: Not imminent. ii. Midtribulation Rapture: Believers in Christ are raptured in the middle of the tribulation period, prior to the Great Tribulation.48 1. Arguments for: a. See Revelation 12:6, 14 and the use of dividing 7 years. 2. Arguments against: iii. Posttribulation Rapture: Believers who are alive will be raptured at the second coming of Christ, which will occur at the end of the tribulation period.49 1. Arguments for: 2. Arguments against: 3. Understanding the Millennial Reign of Christ. a. Introduction: i. Vocabulary: 1. Millennia. This term is based on the word χίλιοι which means a thousand. Revelation 20:6, “μακάριος καὶ ἅγιος ὁ ἔχων μέρος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῇ πρώτῃ· ἐπὶ τούτων ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ’ ἔσονται ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν μετ’ αὐτοῦ χίλια ἔτη.” See καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν μετ’ αὐτοῦ χίλια ἔτη – translated: “and will reign with him for a thousand years.” 2. Other ii. b. View of the Millennial Reign of Christ. i. Historic Premillennialism: Premillennialists hold that the return of Christ will be preceded by certain signs, then followed by a period of peace and righteousness in which Christ will reign on earth in person as King. Historic

47 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 129. 48 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 131. 49 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 132. 12

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 premillennials understand the return of Christ and the Rapture as one and the same event. They see unity.50 1. Arguments for: 2. Arguments against: ii. Dispensational Premillennialism: Jesus will come for his church (Rapture) and then with his church (revelation). The two events are separated by a seven-year Tribulation. In this view, there is a constant distinct between Israel and the church throughout history.51 1. Arguments for: 2. Arguments against iii. Postmillennialism: Postmillennialists believe that the kingdom of God is now extended through teaching, preaching, evangelization, and missionary activities. The world is to be Christianized, and the result will be a long period of peace and prosperity called the Millennium.52 1. Arguments for: 2. Arguments against iv. Amillennialism: Amillennialists believe there is no literal “one-thousand- year [geo-political] reign of Christ. The binding of Satan was accomplished by Jesus on the cross, and the age of the church (the span between Christ’s first and second comings) is the time when Christians are “more than conquerers’ and are ‘seated with Christ in the heavenly places’ (Romans 8:37; Ephesians 2:6).”53 The Bible predicts continuous parallel growth of good and evil in the world between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. The kingdom of God is now present in the world through his word, his Spirit, his church. This is also known as “realized millennialism.”54 1. Arguments for: 2. Arguments against 4. Other

50 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 133. 51 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 134. 52 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 135. 53 deSilva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2004), p. 924. 54 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), p. 136. 13

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 HERMENEUTICS AND INTERPRETATION: DECODING THE CODES 1. According to Oliver O’Donovan, “The core of John's Apocalypse is a sequence of three cycles of seven disasters. Each of these cycles shows us the same thing, the degenerating course of history; but they show us it from different points of view, so that in the last cycle we have come to see how history manifests divine judgment.”55 2. The conceptual and ontological axes of Revelation: a. The Temporal Axis: The Present vs the Future.56 i. Cf., the preterist view, Revelation 2-3. ii. Cf., the futurist view, Revelation 21-22. b. The Spatial Axis: The Earthly vs the Heavenly. i. Cf., c. The Anthropological Axis: The Wicked vs the Righteous. 3. Other

55 O’Donovan, Oliver. “The Political Thought of the Book of Revelation” in Tyndale Bulletin 37 (1986), p. 69, citing, John M. Court (Myth and History in the Book of Revelation [London: SPCK, 1979] 48). 56 The temporal axis as presented here should not be associated with the theological statement of Revelation 1:19. The “things you have seen” may point to Revelation 1:12-16 and not to historical events in the past. 14

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 The word "Jesus" in Greek is iasous. Since each letter has a numeric equivalent, we can add up each number and get a value. The value is the gematria. Therefore, the gematria of "Jesus" in Greek is 888 because i = 10, a = 8, s = 200, o = 70, u = 400, s = 200. There are many interesting 'games' that can be played with this feature of Greek and Hebrew, and much of it is absurd. However, some of the numeric relationships are interesting. Whether or not the numbers really have a significance is still debated in many circles. Nevertheless, I present the information for your examination.57 1. 1 - THE NUMBER OF UNITY. Father. Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Ephesians 4:5 "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." 2. 2 - THE NUMBER OF DIVISION. The Son who has two natures: human and divine. There are 2 Testaments: the Old and New. Man is Male and Female. Rom. 9 speaks of two vessels: one for honorable use and the other for dishonorable use. Two types of people: Sheep and Goats. There are two ages: this age and the age to come: Matt. 12:32; 13:39, 40, 49; Mark 10:30. 3. 3 - THE NUMBER OF DIVINE PERFECTION. The Trinity consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are three qualities of the universe: Time, Space, and Matter. To exist (except for God) all three are required. Each quality consists of three elements. Therefore, we live in a trinity of trinities. 4. 4 - THE NUMBER OF CREATION or the WORLD--North, South, East, West; 4 Seasons.58 The 4th commandment is the first that refers to the earth. The 4th clause of the Lord's Prayer is the first that mentions the earth. The materials of the tabernacle were four and so were the coverings and the ornamentations. 5. 5 - THE NUMBER OF GRACE. Redemption. Israel came out of Egypt 5 in rank (Ex 13:18). David picked up 5 smooth stones to fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40). The Holy Anointing Oil was pure and composed of 5 parts (Ex. 30:23-25). 6. 6 - THE NUMBER OF MAN: Man was created on the 6th day. Man labors 6 days only. The Serpent was created on the 6th day. The 6th commandment is "Thou shalt not murder." Six words are used for man: Adam, ish, Enosh, gehver, anthropos, anar. Also, 6 x 6 = 36. 36 + 35 + 34 + 33 + 32 . . . 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 666. 666 is the number of the antichrist. This means that the name of the antichrist in Greek adds up to 666. This is a mockery of the Trinity. 7. 7 - THE NUMBER OF SPIRITUAL PERFECTION or COMPLETENESS. Seven days in a week. Seven colors in the spectrum. Seven of the 10 commandments begin with the word "not." There are 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 parables in Matthew, and 7 promises to the churches. There are 7 "eternals" in Hebrews which are: A priest for ever (1:6); Eternal salvation (1:9); Eternal judgment (6:2); eternal redemption (9:12); eternal spirit (9:14); eternal inheritance (9:15); and everlasting covenant (13:20). a. Jesus said 7 things on the cross: i. 1) Luke 23:34 "Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots; ii. 2) Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise";

57 http s://carm.org/what-biblical-numerology 58 Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) (p. 66). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iii. 3) Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"; iv. 4) John 19:26 "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son"; v. 5) John 19:28 "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." vi. 6) John 19:30 "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit"; and vii. 7) Luke 23:46 "Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." b. Other occurrences: "Hallelujah" occurs 28 times or 4 x 7. "Hosanna" occurs 7 times. "Milk" occurs 49 times or 7 x 7. "Abaddon" occurs 7 times. "After the order of Melchizedek" occurs 7 times. 8. 8 - THE NUMBER OF NEW BEGINNINGS. 8 people on Noah's Ark (2 Pet. 2:5); circumcision on 8th day (Gen. 17:12); God made 8 covenants with Abraham 9. 9 - THE NUMBER OF JUDGMENT. There are 9 greek words derived from the root word meaning judgment = dikay. The following words each occur 9 times in the Bible: abussos (bottomless pit); asebee (ungodly); aselgeia (lasciviousness); and astrapee (lightning). The gifts of the spirit are 9 in number (1 Cor. 12:8-10): the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. 10. 10 - THE NUMBER OF DIVINE PERFECTION. There are 10 commandments (Ex. 20); 1/10 of - your income is a tithe; the were 10 plagues on Egypt (Ex. 9:14ff); 10 x 10 silver sockets formed the foundation of the Tabernacle (Ex 38:27); There are 10 "I AM"'s spoken by Jesus in John: 1) I am the Bread of Life (6:35); 2) I am the Bread of Life which came down from heaven (6:41); 3) I am the Living Bread (6:51); 4) I am the Light of the world (8:12); 5) I am One that bears witness of Myself (8:18); 6) I am the Door of the sheep (10:7,9); 7) I am the Good Shepherd (10:14); 8) I am the Resurrection and the Life (14:6); 9) I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (11:25); and 10) I am the True Vine (15:1,5). 11. 12 - THE NUMBER OF GOVERNMENTAL PERFECTION. There were 12 tribes of Israel; 12 Apostles, 12 foundations in the heavenly Jerusalem; 12 gates; 12 pearls; 12 angels. The measurements of New Jerusalem are 12,000 furlongs or stadia, while the wall will be 144 (12 x 12) cubits (Rev. 21:16-17). 12. 40 - THE NUMBER OF PROBATION OR TRIAL. The Israelites wandered for 40 years (Deut. 8:2-5). Moses was on the mount for 40 days (Exodus 24:18); 40 days of Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 3:4). Jesus was tempted for 40 days (Matt. 4:2). 13. 153 - In John 21:11, after the resurrection the disciples caught 153 fish. The word fish in Greek is ixthus which has a numerical equivalent of 1224 or 8 x 153. Remember, Jesus Christ is 888. 153 people received a blessing from Jesus in the four gospels (not counting the 5000 and examples like that).

The Hebrew Alphabet in Numerology א Aleph 1 ב Bet 2 ג Gimel 3

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ד Daleth 4 ה Heh 5 ו Vav 6 ז Zayin 7 ח Het 8 ט Tet 9 י Yud 10 כ Kaf 20 ל Lamed 30 מ Mem 40 נ Nun 50 ס Samech 60 ע Ayin 70 פ Peh 80 צ Tzady 90 ק Koof 100 ר Reish 200 ש Shin 300 ת Taf 400 ך (Kaf (final 500 ם (Mem (final 600 ן (Nun (final 700 ף (Peh (final 800 ץ (Tzady (final 900

EXEGESIS & NOUTHETICS

Revelation 1:1-3 “1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond- servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

1 Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ, ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει, καὶ ἐσήμανεν ἀποστείλας διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννῃ, 2 ὃς ἐμαρτύρησεν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅσα εἶδεν. 3 μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα, ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.

INTRODUCTION 1. Notice the following five tier sequence:59 a. >> God gave a Revelation of Jesus to…

i. >> Jesus who gave it to…

1. >> His angel who was sent to communicate it to…(angelic mediators are common in apocalyptic writing). See Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

a. >> John His bond-servant who wrote it down for the…

i. >> Bond-servants of Jesus 2. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 1 Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ, ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει, καὶ ἐσήμανεν ἀποστείλας διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννῃ, a. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,

59 See also Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 183. 18

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants i. Who are the δούλοις? 1. Interpretative Option 1: Specific prophets that John has in mind (Malina and Pilch).60 2. Interpretative Option 2: Generally to “those who hear it read aloud suggests that ‘servants’ may rather mean all Christians (Beckwith, 419).”61 “Elsewhere in the New Testament the term “servants of Christ” is used of Christians generally (1 Corinthians 7:22; Galatians 1:10; Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 4:12) and “servant/servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).”62 The word servant is a primary designation for a Christian in Revelation.63 So Beale who argues, “The phrase τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ refers to the community of faith, which has a general prophetic vocation, rather than to a limited group of prophets.”64 ii. Bond-servants (δούλοις). This is an specific title for Christian’s in general. New Testament usage: 1. Matthew 22:8, ““Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.’ 2. Mark 13:34, “It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.” 3. Acts 4:29, “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,” 4. Colossians 4:1, “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.” 5. Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond- servant John,” 6. Revelation 11:18, “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 7. Revelation 22:6, “And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.” iii. Other c. the things which must soon take place;

60 Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 30. 61 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), p. 13. 62 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), p. 13. 63 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 250. 64 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 183. 19

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Notice in the imminence of time (eschatological pressure)… things which must soon take place. Or, ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει, Lit. the things which have to happen with speed. Note also the last clause of 1:3, “for the time is near.” ii. Witherington states, “The author anticipates that much of what he has seen is likely to be on a near historical horizon not one 2,000 years hence.”65 iii. Apply your hermeneutic tools to this clause. d. and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, i. “Angels play a prominent role in mediating this revelation vision to John. Angelic mediation is frequently found in other prophetic and apocalyptic literature. In the Old Testament angels are sent to interpret the visions given to Ezekiel (Ezek. 40-48), Daniel (Daniel 7-12), and Zechariah (Zech. 1- 6).”66 ii. “Numerous Jewish and Christian inscriptions found in Turkey call on angels for protection and assistance.”67 iii. Bond-servant John 1. Witherington summarizes well the idea that “John [believed] he is writing in the age of the beginning of the fulfillment and fleshing out of all the promises of the Old Testament era.”68 2. 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 2 ὃς ἐμαρτύρησεν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅσα εἶδεν. a. who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, b. even to all that he saw. 3. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα, ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς. a. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; i. This “makarism in Revelation 1:3 is unique in that it is formulated in both the third person singular (“the one who reads”) and the first person plural (“those who hear”), thereby providing a blessing upon the communication process itself.”69 All the “beatitudes in Revelation are eschatological, i.e., they relate to Christ and his second coming.”70 1. The “lector of Revelation was undoubtedly John’s close associate, who was entrusted with delivering the scroll to the churches. Reading Scripture aloud by a lector was a common practice in the early church (see 1 Tim 4:13).”71 2. Mark Wilson posits “only about fifteen percent of the general populace in cities such as Ephesus were literate.”72

65 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 66. 66 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 249. 67 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 249. 68 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 203. 69 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), p. 11. 70 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 250. 71 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 250-51. 72 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 251. 20

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Revelation 1:3 “contains a beatitude or makarism, the first of seven in Rev (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). This makarism is distinctive in form, for it is structured as an enthymeme, i.e., as a two-part statement consisting of a protasis and an apodosis, with the apodosis introduced by γάρ, ‘for,’ providing the reasons for the statement made in the protasis.”73 1. Revelation 1:3, “3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” 2. Revelation 14:13, “13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” 3. Revelation 16:15, “(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”). 4. Revelation 19:9, “Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” 5. Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” 6. Revelation 22:7, “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” 7. Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” iii. Prophecy. 1. By “calling his work a ‘prophecy’ six times (1:3; 19:10; 22:7, 10, 18, 19), John clearly puts his work in the same literary stream as its Old Testament predecessors, particularly Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah.”74 b. The time is near. ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς. i. The word καιρὸς was “commonly used in an eschatological sense to indicate a time or crisis or a decisive moment.”75 ii. See Mark 1:14-15, “14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 14 Καὶ μετὰ τὸ παραδοθῆναι τὸν Ἰωάννην ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ 15 καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.” iii. 4. Other

73 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), p. 10. 74 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 251. 75 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 43. 21

NOUTHETICS 1. If you are not included with the δούλοις (bond-servants) of Jesus, the Book of Revelation may be terrifying to you. If you are included with the δούλοις (bond-servants) of Jesus, the Book of Revelation will be comforting. 2. Mounce states, “History is not a haphazard sequence of unrelated events but a divinely decreed ordering of that which must stake place. It is a logical and moral necessity arising from the nature of God and the revelation of his purpose in creation and redemption.”76 3. Other

76 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 41. 22

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

4 Ἰωάννης ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις ταῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ πνευμάτων ἃ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, 5 καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς.

Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς καὶ λύσαντι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ— 6 καὶ ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς βασιλείαν, ἱερεῖς τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ— αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.

7 Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ὄψεται αὐτὸν πᾶς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ οἵτινες αὐτὸν ἐξεκέντησαν, καὶ κόψονται ἐπ’ αὐτὸν πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς. ναί, ἀμήν.

8 Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, λέγει κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ.

INTRODUCTION 1. Suetonius on Domitian, 13:1-2, “When he became emperor, he did not hesitate to boast in the senate that he had conferred their power on both his father and his brother, and that they had but returned him his own; nor on taking back his wife after their divorce, that he had "recalled her to his divine couch." He delighted to hear the people in the amphitheatre shout on his feast day: "Good Fortune attend our Lord and Mistress." Even more, in the Capitoline competition, when all the people begged him with great unanimity to restore Palfurius Sura, who had been banished some time before from the senate, and on that occasion received the prize for oratory, he deigned no reply, but merely had a crier bid them be silent. 2 With no less arrogance he began as follows in issuing a circular letter in the name of his procurators, Our Master and our God bids that this be done." And so the custom arose of henceforth addressing him in no other way even in writing or in conversation. He suffered no statues to be set up in his honour in the Capitol, except of gold and silver and of a fixed weight. He erected so many and such huge vaulted passage-

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ways and arches in the various regions of the city, adorned with chariots and triumphal emblems, that on one of them someone wrote in Greek: "It is enough.77 2. Suetonius on Domitian, 11.1-3, “His cruelties were not only excessive, but subtle and unexpected. The day before he crucified a collector of his rents, he sent for him into his bed-chamber, made him sit down upon the bed by him, and sent him away well pleased, and, so far as could be inferred from his treatment, in a state of perfect security; having vouchsafed him the favour of a plate of meat from his own table. When he was on the point of condemning to death Aretinus Clemens, a man of consular rank, and one of his friends and emissaries, he retained him about his person in the same or greater favour than ever; until at last, as they were riding together in the same litter, upon seeing the man who had informed against him, he said, " Are you willing that we should hear this base slave to morrow?" Contemptuously abusing the patience of men, he never pronounced a severe sentence without prefacing it with words which gave hopes of mercy; so that, at last, there was not a more certain token of a fatal conclusion, than a mild commencement. He brought before the senate some persons accused of treason, declaring, "that he should prove that day how dear he was to the senate;" and so influenced them, that they condemned the accused to be punished according to the ancient usage. Then. as if alarmed at the extreme severity of their punishment, to lessen the odiousness of the proceeding, he interposed in these words; for it is not foreign to the purpose to give them precisely as they were delivered: "Permit, me, Conscript Fathers, so far to prevail upon your affection for me, however extraordinary the request may seem, as to grant the condemned criminals the favour of dying in the manner they choose. For by so doing, ye will spare your own eyes, and the world will understand that I interceded with the senate on their behalf.”78 3. Aune and a Hypothesis of a Liturgical Setting. According to Aune, “Some scholars have proposed that the salutations with which many New Testament letters begin, following the general pattern ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ (e.g., Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2; cf., Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:2) are derived from the introductory greeting that began Christian services of worship, a ‘formula of introduction’ to the service (Delling, Worship, 48-50; Cullmann, Worship, 23; Schlier, Galater, 30). Ugo Vanni goes further by proposing that Revelation 1:4-8 reflects a liturgical dialogue. The schema Ugo Vanni finds is the following:”79 a. Lector (ò ἀναγινώσκων) 4b Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

77 Suetonius, Domitian 13.1-2 Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Domitian.html 78 Suetonius, Domitian 11.1-3. Source: Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889. See http://www.perseus. tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0132%3Alife%3Ddom.%3Achapter%3D11 79 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 28. 24

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. Assembly (οἱ ἀκούοντες) To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

c. Lector: 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.

d. Assembly: So it is to be. Amen.

e. Lector: 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

4. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, a. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις ταῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ i. John 1. Aune notes this superscript is “striking for its brevity and lack of any title or claim to authority.”80 ii. Seven (ἑπτὰ) Churches 1. “This number is a favorite of the Apocalypse, which has been influenced by the Old Testament predilection for the number. In the Old Testament seven was used to denote ‘fullness,” that is, the time necessary for something to be done effectively, or a general designation of thoroughness or completeness. Sometimes seven is both literal and figurative (e.g., in Leviticus 4-16 ‘sprinkling blood seven times’ is both a literal action and a figurative representation of a complete, effective act). Other times it is purely figurative for completeness (e.g., Lev. 26:18-28: God will punish Israel ‘seven times’ if they do not repent – not seven distinct punishments but a complete chastisement).”81

80 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 29. See Paul’s superscriptions and his tendency to use titles to establish himself with his audience, e.g., apostle, set apart, etc. Note Galatians 1:1 and the force of this epistle. 81 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 186. 25

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Aune notes the number seven occurs fifty-four times in Revelation.82 3. Beale argues, “The seven historical churches are viewed as representative of all the churches in Asia Minor and probably, by extension, the church universal.”83 The location of these churches is actually western Asia Minor,”84 the “Roman province “stretching inland to the Anatolian plateau.”85 “The universal nature of the ‘seven churches’ will become clearer from what follows, especially the seven lampstands (1:12; 11:3ff), which represent the entire universal identity as the spiritual, heavenly temple, in the midst of which Christ is present (see on 1:6, 16; 5:9-10).”86 Again, the representative nature of the church is meritorious. There were other churches in the area that “were of equal importance (Troas, Acts 20;5ff; Colossae, Col 1:2; Hierapolis, Colossians 4:12).”87 4. Aune argues, “The number [seven] is not chosen to symbolize the universal Church, a notion found in the Canon Muratori 171-72, where the seven churches addressed by Paul are thought to symbolize all the churches (since ‘seven’ does not symbolize ‘completeness,’ a view justly criticized by A. Yarbro Collins, ‘Numerical Symbolism,’ 1276-78). Rather, the number seven emphasizes the divine origin and authority of the message of John, since seven is primarily a number with cosmic significance and is therefore associated with heavenly realities.”88 5. Mounce argues these specific seven churches were located “‘on the great circular road that bound together the most populous, wealthy, and influential part of the Province’”89 and serve as logical representations of the body of Christ in the entire region of churches. b. Grace to you and peace, i. Witherington notes this language of grace and peace may evoke a certain fear associated with Domitian.90 According to Suetonius, Domitian was known for, “contemptuously abusing the patience of men, he never pronounced a severe sentence without prefacing it with words which gave hopes of mercy; so that, at last, there was not a more certain token of a fatal conclusion, than a mild commencement.”91

82 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 29. 83 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 186. 84 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 75. 85 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 45. 86 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 187. 87 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 45. 88 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 29. 89 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 45. 90 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 75. 91 Suetonius, Domitian, 11.2. Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889. 26

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Suetonius, Domitian 11, “His cruelties were not only excessive, but subtle and unexpected. The day before he crucified a collector of his rents, he sent for him into his bed-chamber, made him sit down upon the bed by him, and sent him away well pleased, and, so far as could be inferred from his treatment, in a state of perfect security; having vouchsafed him the favour of a plate of meat from his own table.”92 iii. It is worth noting the words of Suetonius, Domitian 3, “In the beginning of his reign, he used to spend daily an hour by himself in private, during which time he did nothing else but catch flies, and stick them through the body with a sharp pin. When some one therefore inquired, "whether any one was with the emperor," it was significantly answered by Vibius Crispus, "Not so much as a fly.”93 Regarding the cruelty of Domitian, see Suetonius, Domitian, 10, at note.94 iv. Witherington asserts, “John is suggesting that his audience lives by a very different sort of source of mercy and grace.”95 So Beale, who states, “The

92 Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889. 93 Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889. Source: htt p://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0132%3Alife%3Ddom.%3Achapter%3D3 94 Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889. “But he did not long persevere in this course of clemency and justice, although he sooner fell into cruelty than into avarice. He put to death a scholar of Paris, the pantomimic,1 though a minor, and then sick, only because, both in person and the practice of his art, he resembled his master; as he did likewise Hermogenes of Tarsus for some oblique reflections in his History; crucifying, besides, the scribes who had copied the work. One who was master of a band of gladiators, happening to say, "that a Thrax was a match for a Marmillo,2 but not so for the exhibitor of the games," he ordered him to be dragged from the benches into the arena, and exposed to the dogs, with this label upon him, "A Parmularian3 guilty of talking impiously." He put to death many senators, and amongst them several men of consular rank. In this number were, Civica Cerealis, when he was proconsul in Africa, Salvidienus Orfitus, and Acilius Glabrio in exile, under the pretence of their planning to revolt against him. The rest he punished upon very trivial occasions; as iElius Lamia for some jocular expressions, which were of old date, and perfectly harmless; because, upon his commending his voice after he had taken his wife from him,4 he replied, "Alas! I hold my tongue." And when Titus advised him to take another wife, he answered him thus: 'What! have you a mind to marry?" Salvius Cocceianus was condemned to death for keeping the birth-day of his uncle Otho, the emperor: Metius Pomposianus, because he was commonly reported to have an imperial nativity,5 and to carry about with him a map of the world upon vellum, with the speeches of kings and generals extracted out of Titus Livius; and for giving his slaves the names of Mago and Annibal; Sallustius Lucullus, lieutenant in Britain, for suffering some lances of a new invention to be called " Lucullean;" and Junius Rusticus, for publishing a treatise in praise of Patus Thrasea and Helvidius Priscus, and calling them both "most upright men." Upon this occasion; he likewise banished all the philosophers from the city and Italy He put to death the younger Helvidius, for writing a farce, in which, under the character of Paris and Oenone, he reflected upon his having divorced his wife; and also Flavius Sabinus, one of his cousins, because, upon his being chosen at the consular election to that office, the public crier had, by a blunder, proclaimed him to the people not consul, but emperor. Becoming still more savage after his success in the civil war, he employed the utmost industry to discover those of the adverse party who absconded: many of them he racked with a newinvented torture, inserting fire through their private parts; and from some he cut off their hands. It is certain, that only two of any note were pardoned, a tribune who wore the narrow stripe, and a centurion; who, to clear themselves from the charge of being concerned in any rebellious project, proved themselves to have been incapable of exercising any influence either over the general or the soldiers.” Source: http: // w ww.perseus.tufts. edu/ hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02. 0132%3Alife%3Ddom .%3 Achapter%3D10 95 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 75. 27

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Christian readers need grace to persevere in their faith in the midst of tribulation, especially pressures to compromise (cf., chapters 2-3). And in the midst of such external turmoil they need the inner ‘peace’ that only the eternal God who is sovereign over the vicissitudes of space-time history can give.”96 v. Aune indicates “This distinctively Christian salutation is a combination of šālôm, and the common Greek םוֹלָשׁ ,the Hebrew and Aramaic peace wish epistolary salutation χαίρειν.” c. from Him who is and who was and who is to come, i. John drops the designation “Father” and instead uses a very “elaborate set of three clause, each of which functions as a divine title. This distinctive phrase occurs three times in Revelation (here, 1:8; 4:8).”97 1. Revelation 1:4-5a, “4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” 2. Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 3. Revelation 4:8, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” 98 4. What of Domitian and his use of language of divinity? Suetonius writes, Domitian 13, “With equal arrogance, when he dictated the form of a letter to be used by his procurators, he began it thus: " Our lord and god commands so and so;" whence it became a rule that no one should style him otherwise either in writing or speaking.”99

ii. Other d. and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,

96 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 187. 97 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 30. 98 The Hebrew background is the memorial name of God. Also known as the Tetragrammaton, or the four letters of YHWH, is the designation used for the personal name or memorial name of God. God revealed His personal name to Moses in Exodus 3:13-15. Mike Heiser (Ph.D., Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin- Madison) argues the difference in spelling from the original Hebrew is a matter of Hebrew morphology or word formation. God is the speaker in Exodus 3:14 and is speaking of himself. As a result, what God says in answer is in the first person. God’s answer (‘ehyeh ‘asher ‘ehyeh) employs the “to be” verb in biblical Hebrew two times. That verb is Hebrew HYH. The middle consonant (y) was frequently interchanged in ancient Semitic languages with the consonant “w” in “to be” formations. The Semitic root HWY (“to be, become”) and Aramaic HWH (“to be, become”) are also considered part of the explanation. I bring this up because it is necessary to account for the “w” in YHWH (as opposed to YHYH) in the divine name form” (cf., michaelsheiser.com). Emphasis mine. 99 Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars; An English Translation, Augmented with the Biographies of Contemporary Statesmen, Orators, Poets, and Other Associates. Suetonius. Publishing Editor. J. Eugene Reed. Alexander Thomson. Philadelphia. Gebbie & Co. 1889. Source: http ://www.perseus.tufts. edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0132%3Alife%3Ddom.%3Achapter%3D13 28

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Who are or what are the seven Spirits? Witherington states, “According to Revelation 5:6 the seven spirits are something Jesus sent throughout the earth and are to be equated with the Lamb’s seven eyes. At Revelation 4:5 they are equated with the blazing lamps. At Revelation 3:1 they are associated with the seven stars, which we have already been told are the angels of the seven churches. The reference is to the angels who are the eyes of the great King, keeping watch over the church for the Lamb.”100 See: 1. Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? 2. Jubilees 1:25 (God's Revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai), “25. And they will all be called children of the living God, 3 and every angel and every spirit will know, yea, they will know that these are My children, and that I am their Father in uprightness and righteousness, and that I love them.” 3. Jubilees 2:1-3, “1 For on the first day He created the heavens which are above and the earth and the waters and all the spirits which serve before Him--the angels 2 of the presence, and the angels of sanctification, 3and the angels [of the spirit of fire and the angels] of the spirit of the winds, 4 and the angels of the spirit of the clouds, and of darkness, and of snow and of hail and of hoar frost, 5 and the angels of the voices 6 and of the thunder and of the lightning, 7 and the angels of the spirits of cold and of heat, and of winter and of spring and of autumn and of summer, 8 and of all the spirits of His creatures which are in the heavens and on the earth, (He created) the abysses and the darkness, eventide (and night), and the light, dawn and day, which He hath prepared in the knowledge of His heart. 3. And thereupon we saw His works, and praised Him, and lauded before Him on account of all His works; for seven great works did He create on the first day.” 4. 1 Enoch 61:12, “All who sleep not above in heaven shall bless Him: All the holy ones who are in heaven shall bless Him, And all the elect who dwell in the garden of life:” 2. 5a and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. a. and from Jesus Christ, b. the faithful witness (ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός). Notice Jesus is presented as the ideal disciple. c. the firstborn of the dead, d. and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 3. 5bTo Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— a. loves us b. and released us c. from our sins by His blood 4. 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

100 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 75. 29

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. and He has made us b. to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father c. —to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. d. Amen. 5. 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. a. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, b. and every eye will see Him, i. How will this be a quiet secret coming of the Lord? c. even those who pierced Him; d. and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. e. So it is to be. Amen. 6. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” a. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” b. says the Lord God, c. “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 7. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Revelation 1:4-8 is an actual text of the early church’s liturgy. We should see worship at the center piece of our faith, especially in tribulation. 2. This is why John de-emphasizes himself in the prescription.

Revelation 1:9-11 9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

9 Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συγκοινωνὸς ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ, ἐγενόμην ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ καλουμένῃ Πάτμῳ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ.10 ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματι ἐν τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἤκουσα ὀπίσω μου φωνὴν μεγάλην ὡς σάλπιγγος 11 λεγούσης· Ὃ βλέπεις γράψον εἰς βιβλίον καὶ πέμψον ταῖς ἑπτὰ

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ἐκκλησίαις, εἰς Ἔφεσον καὶ εἰς Σμύρναν καὶ εἰς Πέργαμον καὶ εἰς Θυάτειρα καὶ εἰς Σάρδεις καὶ εἰς Φιλαδέλφειαν καὶ εἰς Λαοδίκειαν.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 9 Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συγκοινωνὸς ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ, ἐγενόμην ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ καλουμένῃ Πάτμῳ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ. a. I, John, your brother Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν i. Aune argues the phrase Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συγκοινωνὸς “is a nominative of apposition modifying the name ‘John,’ and since it contains a single definite article governing two substantives connected with καί, ‘and’ the substantives refer to the same thing (Robertson, Grammar, 785- 86).”101 b. and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ, i. Beale indicates the “introduction of the three datives ‘the tribulation, kingdom, and perseverance’ (τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ) with only one article is a hint that they should be interpreted together as a unit in some fashion, especially after the same phenomenon has just occurred even more clearly in the immediately preceding clause.”102 Beale continues, “All three [datives] are to be understood as having their frame of reference ‘in Jesus.’”103 Note Aune finds this conclusion problematic. See below. ii. According to Aune, the three substantives [datives] are “probably all governed by the single definitive article before and thus all refer to the same person or thing (Robertson, Grammar, 784-85). However, the prepositional phrase ἐν Ἰησοῦ, indicates this cannot be so since it is certainly problematic to speak of the ‘tribulation in Jesus, so that ‘in Jesus’ must be taken either with ὑπομονῇ alone, or possibly with βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ.”104 c. was on the island called Patmos i. The word was on (ἐγενόμην aorist indicative middle first person of γίνομαι), according to Witherington, “possibly indicates John was no longer on the island when he wrote this document. Could he have returned to the mainland to compile the document after the reign of Domitian ended? This would answer the question how the document finally got to the churches from a remote island.”105 So Ladd, “Apparently he received the visions on Patmos but composed the book at some later time.”106 ii. Historical evidence to consider:

101 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 75. 102 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 200. 103 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 201. 104 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 75. 105 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 79. 106 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 30. 31

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. Tertullian, The Prescription Against the Heretics, 36.1-3, “1 Come now, you who would indulge a better curiosity, if you would apply it to the business of your salvation, run over the apostolic churches, in which the very thrones of the apostles are still pre-eminent in their places, in which their own authentic writings are read, uttering the voice and representing the face of each of them severally. 2 Achaia is very near you, (in which) you find Corinth. Since you are not far from Macedonia, you have Philippi; (and there too) you have the Thessalonians. Since you are able to cross to Asia, you get Ephesus. Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the very authority (of apostles themselves). 3 How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood! where Peter endures a passion like his Lord's! where Paul wins his crown in a death like John's where the Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island-exile!”107 2. Clement of Alexandrea, Quis dives Salv. 42.4-5, “4 But that thou mayest have confidence, if thou thus truly repent, that there remains for thee a sufficient hope of salvation, hear a legend that is no legend, but a true story concerning John the Apostle, that has been handed down and preserved in memory. For when, on the death of the tyrant, 5 he removed from the island of Patmos to Ephesus, on being invited, he went also to the neighbouring districts of the Gentiles; in one place appointing Bishops, in another setting in order whole Churches, in another ordaining a ministry…”108 3. Eusebius, Church History, 3.20.9-10, “Domitian also, who possessed a share of Nero's cruelty, attempted once to do the same thing that the latter did. But because he had, I suppose, some intelligence, he very soon ceased, and even recalled those whom he had banished. 10. But after Domitian had reigned fifteen years, and Nerva had succeeded to the empire, the Roman Senate, according to the writers that record the history of those days, voted that Domitian's honors should be cancelled, and that those who had been unjustly banished should return to their homes and have their property restored to them.”109 Nerva reigned A.D. 96-98.110

107 Source: http :/ /www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-24.htm#P3616_1222293. Tertullian was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. Of Berber origin, he was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including contemporary Christian Gnosticism. Tertullian has been called "the father of Latin Christianity" and "the founder of Western theology." Born 160 AD, died 240 AD, Carthage, Tunisia. 108 Clement of Alexandria, Who is the Rich Man that is Being Saved?. Rev. P. Mordaunt Barnard, Rector of Headley, Epson. Published under the direction of the Tract Committee. London: Society for Promoting Christian knowledge, Northumberland Avenue, W.C. J 43, Queen Victoria Street, B.C. Brighton: 129, North Street. New York: E. & J.B. Young & Co. 1901. Source: H ttps://archive. org/stream/homilyofclemento00clemuoft/homilyofclemento 00clemuoft_djvu.txt 109 Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.. 110 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 54 n5. 32

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 4. Pliny the Younger, Epistles 1.5.10; 9.13.1, 5 a. Pliny the Younger, Epistles 1.5.10, “We met at the portico of Livia, just as we were each of us on the way to see the other. He explained his commission from Regulus and added his own entreaties, but did not press the point too strongly, as became a worthy gentleman asking a favour for a worthless acquaintance. This was my answer: "Well, you must see for yourself what message you think best to take back to Regulus; I should not like you to be under any misapprehension. I am waiting till Mauricus returns" - he had not yet returned from exile - "and so I cannot give you an answer either way, for I shall do just what he thinks best.”111 b. Pliny the Younger, Epistles 9.13.1, “The more carefully and closely you have read the books I composed to vindicate the character of Helvidius, the more anxious, you say, you are for me to write an account of the whole affair from beginning to end, which you were too young to take any part in, giving you details which do not appear in my volumes as well as those which do. When Domitian was put to death, I took counsel with myself and came to the conclusion that there was now a splendid and glorious opportunity for prosecuting the guilty, vindicating the oppressed, and at the same time bringing myself into prominence.”112 c. Pliny the Younger, Epistles 9.13.5, “Tell Arria and Fannia - they had already returned from exile - of my resolve, take counsel with yourself and them and decide whether you desire to be associated with a performance in which I do not need the assistance of a second, though I do not wish to be so greedy for my personal glory as to grudge you a share in it." Anteia took my message and they lost no time in complying, and it fortunately happened that the senate met three days afterwards.”113 5. Victorinus of Pettau (d. approx. AD 304),114 Commentary on the Apocalypse 10.3, “For to take the little scroll and to eat it: having

111 Translated by J.B. Firth (1900) Source: http: //www.attalus.org/old/pliny1.html 112 Translated by J.B. Firth (1900) Source: http: //www.attalus.org/old/pliny9.html 113 Translated by J.B. Firth (1900) Source: http: //www.attalus.org/old/pliny9.html 114 Victorinus (b. 250 AD and was bishop and martyr. He was apparently a Greek by birth, and (according to the repeated statement of Cassiodorus) a rhetorician before he became bp. of Pettau (Petavio) in Upper Pannonia. He is believed to have suffered martyrdom in Diocletian's persecution. Claudio Moreschini writes, "Victorinus wrote commentaries on nine books of the Bible, which seem to have been chosen with the idea of studying the most famous of the historical (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus) and prophetic (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) books, and the Apocalypse. He also authored a commentary on Matthew. His exegesis was completely under the influence of Origen, who at that time was the most famous student of the sacred text; thus his fame had spread from Alexandria to distant Noricum. The method Victorinus followed seems to have been to compose 'scholia' after the manner of Origen. The interpretation is primarily allegorical, with a marked interest in arithmology. Despite his spiritualist exegesis, Victorinus supposedly professed millennialism in its crudest form, and for this he was much 33

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 been shown to him, it is committed to memory. To be sweet in the mouth is the fruit of the preaching of the speaker, and to the hearers is very sweet, but (also) very bitter to the preacher and to those persevering in the commandments through sufferings. He says, It is necessary to preach again, that is, to prophesy, among peoples, tongues, and nations: this is because, when John saw this, he was in the island of Pathmos, condemned to a mine by Caesar Domitian. Therefore, John is seen to have written the Apocalypse there. And when now old, he thought it possible to return after the suffering. Domitian having been killed, all his judgments were undone and John was released from the mine, and thus afterward he handed over this same Apocalypse which he received from the Lord. This is: It is necessary to preach again.”115 6. Citing Keener, Witherington reports: “He may have been treated less harshly than others on account of his age or because the governor rather than the emperor sentenced him, but in any case banishment involved loss of honor. The severest form of banishment – probably not what John experienced – involved loss of one’s civil rights, including the forfeiture of nearly all one’s property to the state. Unless the government lifted the ban, those banished to an island remained there until they died. Those of higher social status could work on the island and earn some money; those of lower status were scourged…chained, given little food or clothing, left to sleep on the bare ground, and sentenced to hard labor.”116 7. Witherington conjects, “John probably experienced relegatio,117 in which case it was not the Emperor directly who punished him. This form of punishment was a common one for those found guilty of promulgating a superstition. Under relegatio one could return home after a period of time.”118 Governors had the “authority to send people into exile for political reasons, and from its earliest days the church had been liable to the accusation of political sedition (see

criticized." (Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature, p. 397). Source: http://earlychristianwritings.com/victorinus.html 115 Source: https:// ww w.preteristarchive.com/StudyArchive/v/victorinus-of-petau.html. Witherington argues the historical plausibility of John being condemned to the mines on Patmos is unlikely because: “(1) we do not know of any evidence of mines on Patmos; (2) being sentenced to an island was different from the punishment of being sent to the mines, and (3) these punishments were used for differing kinds of offenses.” Witherington, Revelation, 79. 116 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 80, citing, C. Keener, Revelation (2002), p. 82. 117 Nicholas, Barry. “Relegation” in The Oxford Classical Dictionary: The Ultimate Reference Work on the Classical World, Third Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 1297. According to Nicholas, “The relationship between this [relegatio] and deportatio, with the generic category of exile (exsilium), is not altogether clear, but relegatio covers milder forms of exile. It might be decreed by a magistrate (from the late republic) as a coercive measure or imposed as a penalty in a criminal trial. In the later form it had different gradations ranging from mere temporary expulsion to deportatio (introduced by Tiberius). This [deportatio] was a perpetual banishment to a particular place, combined with confiscation of property and loss of citizenship. Banishment in all forms was e specially a punishment for the higher classes. The lower classes were punished for similar crimes with forced labor or even death.” Nicholas, “Relegation” OCD (2003), p. 1297-98. 118 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 80. 34

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Acts 17:7). In the time of the emperor Nero, Christians were marked out as adherents of a new and – from the Roman point of view – potentially dangerous religion. Before Nero, the Christian movement was usually viewed as a movement within Judaism.”119 8. See Acts 17:6-9, “6 When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; 7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9 And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.” Note in verse 6, “When they did not find them (Paul and his delegates), they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting ‘These men who have upset the world have come here also;” City authorities. Roman law defined in legal statutes major offenses against persons, society and the government.120 This system dealt for the most part with the offenses by the upper class and government officials.121 It did not cover many crimes, including those of common persons.122 These crimes, called cognitio extra ordinaria, were judged case by case by a magistrate.123 With the advice of a council, this magistrate could determine what was legal or illegal, and what punishment was appropriate.124 In the city of Rome, the city prefect performed this function. At the beginning of his appointment, he would issue a list of the principles by which he would decide such cases.125 Since local legal officials became involved only in cases involving cognitio extra ordinaria we have a plausible explanation why Christians in the first two centuries were persecuted only sporadically, at specific times and places.126 Because of the limited nature of these governing structures, Paul and Barnabas and their hosts took advantage of this by keeping on the move; they appeared before the magistrates in one town like Thessalonica, paid a security deposit and moved onto to another town.127 Their accusers then had to start over with a new set of magistrates and laws (Acts 17:5-10).128 7, “…they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Caesar Augustus issued an edict in A.D. 11 explicitly forbidding the

119 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 30. 120 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 154. 121 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 154. 122 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 154-55. 123 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 155. 124 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 155. 125 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 155, citing Sherwin-White, Roman Law, pp. 13-15. 126 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 155. 127 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 155. 128 Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (Illinois: InterVarsity Press), p. 155. 35

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 use of astrology to predict his or anyone else’s day of death.129 The emperor Tiberias reaffirmed this decree (dogma) by putting to death foreigners who ignored it.130 In response to these decrees, some cities pledged their commitment to the Caesar by offering oaths of loyalty.131 At this juncture in the middle of the first century A.D. it is right to point out that the crime of treason (maiestas) was a matter of public law, not Caesarean decree.132 What decrees, then, could be alluded to here? E. A. Judge has plausibly suggested the reference is to a ban on certain kinds of predictions, particularly predictions that have to do with the change of rulers or that suggest the demise of the current one due to ill health or the like.133 Tiberius had already issued in A.D. 16 a decree (dogma) prohibiting the practicing of such an art in the cities of the Empire (see Dio Chrysostom 57.15.8).134 iii. Patmos: 1. The Island of Patmos (now called Patino), is one of the Sporades islands, “is thirty miles or forty-five kilometers in circumference and is located thirty-seven miles west-southwest from Miletus, fifty miles from ancient Ephesus. During the Hellenistic period, Patmos along with the islands of Lipsos and Leros, were part of the territory of Miletus. The territory of Miletus consisted of the city of Miletus, the surrounding countryside, the the islands (Saffrey, RB 82 [1975] 388-91, with inscriptional evidence). These three islands were also designed as fortresses, of Miletus, since the city was a major maritime power and these islands protected her Aegean side by guarding the entrance to the Latmique Gulf where Miletus was located.” Miletus is the place where Paul meet with 2. INSCRIPTIONAL EVIDENCE: “Patmos was certainly not a deserted island. In an inscription from Patmos dating to the second century BC (SEG 1068.2), a certain Hegemandros was gymnasiarch seven times and that he had funded the erection of a stone statue to Hermes as well as performed other benefits for his fellow citizens and athletes.”

129 Arnold, Clinton E. Acts – Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 381, citing Dio Cassius, Roman History, 56.25.5-6. Consider the following from Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch, Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 200), p.39, “Further the equinoctial signs have significance for sacred rites and the worship of the gods; the solstitial signs, for changes in the air and in political customs; the solid signs, for foundations and the construction of houses; the bicorporeal, for men and kings. Similarly, those which are closer to the orient at the time of the eclipse signify what is to be concerning the crops, youth and foundations; those near the mid-heaven above the earth, concerning sacred rites, kings and middle age; and those near the occident, concerning change of customs, old age, and those who have passed away.” 130 Arnold, Clinton E. Acts – Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 381. 131 Arnold, Clinton E. Acts – Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 381. 132 Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 508. 133 Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 508. 134 Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 508. Witherington cites the work of Judge, The Decrees of Caesar at Thessalonica. 36

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 3. INSCRIPTIONAL EVIDENCE: “An inscription from the second century A.D. (G. Kaibel, Epigrammatica Graeca ex lapidibus conlecta [Belin: Reimer, 1878], no 872) honors Bera, a hydrophore, ‘priestess,’ of Artemis (ὑδροφόρος was the Milesian term for such priestesses),135 and reveals the presence of a cult and temple of Artemis on Patmos, complete with a public feast, a procession, and the recitation of hymns in honor of the goddess (Saffrey, RB 82 [1975] 399-407; cf. Peek, RMP 107 [1964] 315-25).” d. because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”136 2. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 10 ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματι ἐν τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἤκουσα ὀπίσω μου φωνὴν μεγάλην ὡς σάλπιγγος a. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, i. The Lord’s Day has become a form of technical language for the early followers of Jesus. Witherington posits that Emperor’s Day should be contrasted with the Lord’s Day. Emperor’s Day “included a special day set aside in Asia once a month.”137 See: 1. Didache 14:1, “And on the Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.”138 2. Ignatius 9.1-2, “1 If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing sabbaths but fashioning their lives after the Lord's day, on which our life also arose through Him and through His death which some men deny – a mystery whereby we attained unto belief, and for this cause we endure patiently, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ our only teacher -- 2 if this be so, how shall we be able to live apart from Him? seeing that even the prophets, being His disciples, were expecting Him as their teacher through the Spirit. And for this cause He whom they rightly awaited, when He came, raised them from the dead.”139 3. Pliny the Younger, Epistle 10.96, “It is my custom, Sir, to refer to you in all cases where I do not feel sure, for who can better direct my doubts or inform my ignorance? I have never been present at any legal examination of the Christians, and I do not know, therefore, what are the usual penalties passed upon them, or the limits of those penalties, or how searching an inquiry should be made. I have hesitated a great deal in considering whether any distinctions should be drawn according to the ages of the accused; whether the weak should be punished as severely as the more robust; whether if they renounce their faith they should be pardoned, or whether the man

135 The term ὑδροφόρος refers to priestesses who draw water for ceremonial purposes. 136 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 77. 137 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 80. 138 The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Didache). Translated and edited by J. B. Lightfoot. Source: Early Christian Writings. 139 Ignatius, Ignatius to the Magnesians in the Apostolic Fathers. Translated by J. B. Lightfoot. Source: Early Christian Writings. 37

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 who has once been a Christian should gain nothing by recanting; whether the name itself, even though otherwise innocent of crime, should be punished, or only the crimes that gather round it. In the meantime, this is the plan which I have adopted in the case of those Christians who have been brought before me. I ask them whether they are Christians; if they say yes, then I repeat the question a second and a third time, warning them of the penalties it entails, and if they still persist, I order them to be taken away to prison. For I do not doubt that, whatever the character of the crime may be which they confess, their pertinacity and inflexible obstinacy certainly ought to be punished. There were others who showed similar mad folly whom I reserved to be sent to Rome, as they were Roman citizens. Subsequently, as is usually the way, the very fact of my taking up this question led to a great increase of accusations, and a variety of cases were brought before me. A pamphlet was issued anonymously, containing the names of a number of people. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians and called upon the gods in the usual formula, reciting the words after me, those who offered incense and wine before your image, which I had given orders to be brought forward for this purpose, together with the statues of the deities - all such I considered should be discharged, especially as they cursed the name of Christ, which, it is said, those who are really Christians cannot be induced to do. Others, whose names were given me by an informer, first said that they were Christians and afterwards denied it, declaring that they had been but were so no longer, some of them having recanted many years before, and more than one so long as twenty years back. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the deities, and cursed the name of Christ. But they declared that the sum of their guilt or their error only amounted to this, that on a stated day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god, and that so far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, their oath was to abstain from theft, robbery, adultery, and from breach of faith, and not to deny trust money placed in their keeping when called upon to deliver it. When this ceremony was concluded, it had been their custom to depart and meet again to take food, but it was of no special character and quite harmless, and they had ceased this practice after the edict in which, in accordance with your orders, I had forbidden all secret societies. I thought it the more necessary, therefore, to find out what truth there was in these statements by submitting two women, who were called deaconesses, to the torture, but I found nothing but a debased superstition carried to great lengths. So I postponed my examination, and immediately consulted you. The matter seems to me worthy of your consideration, especially as there are so many people involved in the

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 danger. Many persons of all ages, and of both sexes alike, are being brought into peril of their lives by their accusers, and the process will go on. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only through the free cities, but into the villages and the rural districts, and yet it seems to me that it can be checked and set right. It is beyond doubt that the temples, which have been almost deserted, are beginning again to be thronged with worshippers, that the sacred rites which have for a long time been allowed to lapse are now being renewed, and that the food for the sacrificial victims is once more finding a sale, whereas, up to recently, a buyer was hardly to be found. From this it is easy to infer what vast numbers of people might be reclaimed, if only they were given an opportunity of repentance.”140 4. See Trajan’s Response: “You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it--that is, by worshiping our gods--even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.”141 5. ii. Other b. and I heard behind me c. a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, i. “The noun phrase ‘a loud sound’ occurs some twenty times” in the Book of Revelation.142 3. 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 11 λεγούσης· Ὃ βλέπεις γράψον εἰς βιβλίον καὶ πέμψον ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις, εἰς Ἔφεσον καὶ εἰς Σμύρναν καὶ εἰς Πέργαμον καὶ εἰς Θυάτειρα καὶ εἰς Σάρδεις καὶ εἰς Φιλαδέλφειαν καὶ εἰς Λαοδίκειαν. a. saying, “Write in a book what you see, · Ὃ βλέπεις γράψον εἰς βιβλίον i. Witherington conjects “If βιβλίον here actually means book, Revelation is possibly one of the first Christian documents to be produced in book form.”143 b. and send it to the seven churches:144 καὶ πέμψον ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις,

140 Translated by J.B. Firth (1900) Source: http: //www.attalus.org/old/pliny1.html 141 http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/pliny.html 142 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 81. 143 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 81. 144 The language in both places ("the seven churches") gives the impression that these seven were the only Christian congregations in the province of Asia, but this was not the case. Two others are mentioned in the New Testament (Colossae and Hierapolis, Col 1:2; 4:13), while two more (Tralles and Magnesia) are addressed, along with Ephesus, Smyrna and Philadelphia, in early second-century letters from Ignatius of Antioch. In view of the symbolic 39

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. to Ephesus ii. and to Smyrna iii. and to Pergamum iv. and to Thyatira v. and to Sardis vi. and to Philadelphia vii. and to Laodicea.” c. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. 9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 9 Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συγκοινωνὸς ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ, ἐγενόμην ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ καλουμένῃ Πάτμῳ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ. a. Robert H. Mounce considers the word order of the phrase ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ, to be instructive, “since the present is a time of suffering and the kingdom a period of future blessedness, believers must during the interim period exercise that kind of patient endurance which was exemplified by Jesus”145 [and John himself]. 2. Other

importance of the number seven throughout the book of Revelation, it is likely that these seven were intended to represent all of the Asian congregations, and perhaps all Christian congregations everywhere. Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/ivp-nt/Voice 145 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 54. Italics mine. 40

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Revelation 1:12-16 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

12 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετ’ ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς, 13 καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν λυχνιῶν ὅμοιον υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου, ἐνδεδυμένον ποδήρη καὶ περιεζωσμένον πρὸς τοῖς μαστοῖς ζώνην χρυσᾶν· 14 ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ ὡς ἔριον λευκόν, ὡς χιών, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός, 15 καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ, ὡς ἐν καμίνῳ πεπυρωμένης, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ ὡς φωνὴ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, 16 καὶ ἔχων ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ἀστέρας ἑπτά, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ῥομφαία δίστομος ὀξεῖα ἐκπορευομένη, καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος φαίνει ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ. 17 Καὶ ὅτε εἶδον αὐτόν, ἔπεσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκρός· καὶ ἔθηκεν τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ λέγων· Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, 18 καὶ ὁ ζῶν— καὶ ἐγενόμην νεκρὸς καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶν εἰμι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων— καὶ ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου. 19 γράψον οὖν ἃ εἶδες καὶ ἃ εἰσὶν καὶ ἃ μέλλει γίνεσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. 20 τὸ μυστήριον τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀστέρων οὓς εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς μου, καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ λυχνίας τὰς χρυσᾶς· οἱ ἑπτὰ ἀστέρες ἄγγελοι τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησιῶν εἰσίν, καὶ αἱ λυχνίαι αἱ ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαι εἰσίν.

INTRODUCTION 1. Revelation 1:13-16 is striking in this text and the related texts of Daniel 7, 10; Ezra, Ezekiel, and Enoch, “is that the heavenly figure in question [Rev 1:13-16] is identified with Jesus in Revelation, suggesting that he is more than a mere human being, even an exalted one who might have experienced apotheosis.”146 2. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 12 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετ’ ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς, a. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.

146 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 82. Regarding the term apotheosis, the term refers to the elevation to the status of a god. The term (from Greek apotheoun, “to make a god,” “to deify”) implies a polytheistic conception of gods while it recognizes that some individuals cross the dividing line between gods and men. 41

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Verse 12 helps to define what was heard as referenced in 1:10-11, “10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” ii. b. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; i. Seven (the number of spiritual perfection, wholeness, holiness). ii. Lampstands 1. According to Witherington, “The menorah was widely recognized in the Mediterranean world as a symbol of Judaism (Corpus inscriptionum iudaicarum 1.8 #4; 1.16 #14).”147 The image portrayed here is that of seven menorah with seven branches each, surrounding Jesus in a temple-like setting.148 7 x 7 = the whole accounting of the whole. The emphasis on seven here supports the conclusion that there are seven historical churches addressed in the text, but in application, these seven historical churches are representative of all churches. Ladd states, “In the New Testament, each local church is to be viewed as the church universal in all its fullness.”149 2. 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 13 καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν λυχνιῶν ὅμοιον υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου, ἐνδεδυμένον ποδήρη καὶ περιεζωσμένον πρὸς τοῖς μαστοῖς ζώνην χρυσᾶν· a. and in the middle of the lampstands b. I saw one like a son of man, i. clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, 1. Regarding the imperial dress and wardrobes of the Roman political elite, note the following from Kenneth D. Matthew of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology: “To protect his Danubian provinces, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius personally led campaigns against the Marcomanni from A.D. 166 to 172 and from 177 to 180. The costs of the war could not be sustained by the depleted treasury, so Marcus decided upon a public auction! The goods would come from the imperial palace. Actually on the Palatine Hill in Rome there were two palaces furnished with works of art and luxury items collected by earlier emperors. The Flavian Palace was the most modern and had been completed by

147 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 82. 148 “A seven-branched candelabrum played an important role in Zechariah’s view, apparently to represent Israel (Zech 4:1-3 “Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. 2 He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; 3 also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.”). In John’s vision the lampstands represented the church, which had now become the light of the world.” George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 32. 149 George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 32. 42

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Domitian in A.D. 92. Marcus Aurelius, like his adoptive father Antoninus Pius, disliked this structure and chose instead to reside in the old palace originally built by Tiberius early in the first century A.D. From both of these sources Marcus made his selection of imperial heirlooms and had them wheeled down to the Forum of Trajan in carts. The auction lasted for two months with an auctioneer conducting the sales and a financial steward keeping careful records of the transactions. Years later, after the conclusion of the war, the emperor found a surplus of money still left from these sales so he offered to buy back anything which purchasers did not wish to keep. Some did take advantage of the offer. Ancient authors specifically mention the fact that Marcus included in his auction a fine selection of articles from his wife’s wardrobe. Within the palace, under the administration of the imperial treasury (fiscus), there existed a special bureau or treasury called the thesaurus which served as the repository for such things as imperial jewelry and precious plate. Among its duties also was that of maintaining and storing the state robes belonging not only to the empress but to the emperor as well. Whether the throne changed hands peacefully or not this clothing remained in the palace since it was used as an embellishment for imperial power. A special steward known as a procurator supervised all affairs of the thesaurus. In addition, however, there were separate wardrobes belonging to the emperor and empress which consisted of their own personal garments. It was evidently from this collection that Marcus chose the gold-embroidered silk robes (serica et aurata) which were sent off to Trajan’s Forum for sale.”150 c. and girded across His chest with a golden sash. i. Ladd indicates these descriptors are part “of the garb of the high priest (Exodus 28:4; 39:29).”151 ii. Against Ladd, I argue that John is presenting Jesus as an anti-Roman emperor. Aune correct that “There is no clear intention on the part of the author to conceptualize the appearance of the exalted Christ in priestly terms.”152 3. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 14 ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ ὡς ἔριον λευκόν, ὡς χιών, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός, a. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; b. and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 4. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 15 καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ, ὡς ἐν καμίνῳ πεπυρωμένης, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ ὡς φωνὴ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, a. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze,

150 Matthews, Kenneth D. "The Imperial Wardrobe of Ancient Rome" Expedition Magazine 12.3 (1970), p. 2. Source: http s://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-imperial-wardrobe-of-ancient-rome/ 151 George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 32. 152 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 94. 43

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Is this an echo from Daniel? ii. Aune notes, “The famous Prima Porta statue of Augustus portrays the emperor, rather atypically, as barefoot. According to Hannestand (Roman Art, 51), this is generally understood as an indication that the individual depicted is in the sphere of the divine, and that the statue of Augustus portrays the deceased and deified emperor.”153 b. when it has been made to glow in a furnace, c. and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 5. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 16 καὶ ἔχων ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ἀστέρας ἑπτά, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ῥομφαία δίστομος ὀξεῖα ἐκπορευομένη, καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος φαίνει ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ. a. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, i. The seven stars are the seven angels (1:20) or heavenly beings who represent the seven churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea).154 ii. We should not see any astrological significance here, for example: “Pleides (the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleidone, placed by Zeus among the stars) or the seven planets (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn).”155 iii. Beale suggests Angelic beings may have some accountability for the spiritual health of the churches.156 b. and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; i. This is the language of judgment. Aune notes that according Revelation 2:16, the purpose of the sword is to fight against the unrepentant.157 ii. Aune correctly posits that “the sword issues from the mouth of Christ suggests that the sword is a metaphor for the tongue, i.e., for the words he speaks.”158 1. John 5:22-24, “22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” 2. See John 14:10, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”

153 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 95. 154 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 217. 155 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 59. See M. Wojciechowski, “Seven Churches and Seven Celestial Bodies,” BibNot, 45 (1988), 48-50. 156 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 217. 157 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 98. 158 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 98. 44

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iii. Mounce argues, “The sword in these vignettes symbolizes the irresistible power of divine judgment. The authoritative word of Christ is to be understood over against the fraudulent demands of the imperial cult.”159 c. and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 6. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 17 Καὶ ὅτε εἶδον αὐτόν, ἔπεσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκρός· καὶ ἔθηκεν τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ λέγων· Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, a. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. i. See Joshua 5:14; Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 8:17; 10:15; Matthew 17:6; Acts 26:14; and 1 Enoch 14:14. Also, in the OT, a sinful man who sees God was to die (cf., Exodus 19:21; 33:20; Judges 6:22-23).160 b. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, c. “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, i. “Asia Minor myths about Hecate, who was said to be the key bearer to the gates of Hades. Hecate is described as ‘Beginning and end are you and you alone rule all. For all things are from you, and in you do all things, Eternal One, come to their end (PGM IV .2836-37).’”161 ii. According to SIG 177, an Egyptian papyrus, Anoubis is described as holding the keys to Hades.162 7. 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 18 καὶ ὁ ζῶν— καὶ ἐγενόμην νεκρὸς καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶν εἰμι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων— καὶ ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου. 8. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 19 γράψον οὖν ἃ εἶδες καὶ ἃ εἰσὶν καὶ ἃ μέλλει γίνεσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. a. Perspectives in the Book of Revelation:163 i. Therefore write the things which you have seen (Rev 1). ii. and the things which are (Rev 2-3). iii. and the things which will take place after these things (Rev 4-22). b. Witherington argues, vs 19 is “often taken as the hermeneutical key to interpreting the book [of Revelation].”164 However, we must not miss the fact that John is seeking to “provide prophetic interpretation and eschatological exhortation for the Christian communities in Asia Minor to whom he writes.”165 9. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. 20 τὸ μυστήριον τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀστέρων οὓς εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς μου, καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ λυχνίας τὰς χρυσᾶς· οἱ ἑπτὰ ἀστέρες ἄγγελοι τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησιῶν εἰσίν, καὶ αἱ λυχνίαι αἱ ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαι εἰσίν. a. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand,

159 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 60. 160 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 60. 161 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 82. See Aune, Revelation 1- 5, p. 104. 162 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 82. 163 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 82. 164 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 82. 165 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 83. 45

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Mystery (μυστήριον noun nominative singular). Aune argues the word μυστήριον is a “Persian loanword found in biblical Aramaic, not biblical Hebrew. The term means mystery and was a quasi-technical term in both prophetic and apocalyptic texts in early Judaism and early Christianity.”166 b. and the seven golden lampstands: c. the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, i. “In the early church the presence of angels was assumed at the assemblies (cf., 1 Corinthians 11:10), and, as we saw in Revelation 1:1, angels were an integral part of worship in Asia.”167 d. and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. i. Ephesus, ii. Smyrna, iii. Pergamum, iv. Thyatira, v. Sardis, vi. Philadelphia, vii. and Laodicea 10. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; a. We conclude that the seven churches of Revelation are representative for all churches. 2. 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 3. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 4. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 5. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 6. Summary of the ten descriptors of clothing and appearance of the son of man: a. I saw one like a son of man, b. clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, c. and girded across His chest with a golden sash. d. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; e. and His eyes were like a flame of fire. f. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, g. and His voice was like the sound of many waters. h. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, i. and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; j. and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

166 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 106\. 167 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 259. 1 Corinthians 11:10, “Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.” 46

APPEARANCE APPEARANCE APPEARANCE APPEARANCE DESCRIPTORS IN DESCRIPTORS IN IN DESCRIPTORS IN DESCRIPTORS IN THE BOOK OF THE BOOK OF OF A JEWISH OF A ROMAN DANIEL 7 REVELATION 1 PRIEST EMPEROR

Ancient of Days – Dan I saw one like a son of 7 (YHWH) man,

Clothing like white clothed in a robe Exodus 28: 4-5, “a Toga, tunic (white) or snow – Dan 7 (YHWH) reaching to the feet, breastpiece, ephod, tunic palmatta (purple) robe, tunic of checkered Elaborate decoration; work, turban and a gold-embroidered silk sash,” Exodus 28:2, robes “…made for glory and for beauty.”

Hair of His head like His head and His hair pure wool – Dan 7 were white like white (YHWH) wool, like snow

One like the Son of Man and His eyes were like a coming in the clouds – flame of fire. Dan 7 (Jesus)

Given dominion – Dan His feet were like 7 (Jesus) burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace,

A Certain Man – Dan and His voice was like 10 (Jesus) the sound of many waters.

Dress in linen – Dan 10 In His right hand He held seven stars,

Waist girded w a belt of and out of His mouth pure gold of Uphaz – came a sharp two-edged Dan 10 sword;

His body was like beryl and His face was – Dan 10 (yellow). See like the sun shining in pic. its strength.

His face appeared as lightning – Dan 10

His eyes like flaming torches – Dan 10

Arms and feet like polished bronze – Dan 10

Voice like a tumult – Dan 10

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 7. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 8. 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 9. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 10. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 2:1-7 THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

Τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ κρατῶν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑπτὰ λυχνιῶν τῶν χρυσῶν·

2 Οἶδα τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ τὸν κόπον καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ ὅτι οὐ δύνῃ βαστάσαι κακούς, καὶ ἐπείρασας τοὺς λέγοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστόλους, καὶ οὐκ εἰσίν, καὶ εὗρες αὐτοὺς ψευδεῖς· 3 καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις, καὶ ἐβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακες. 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες. 5 μνημόνευε οὖν πόθεν πέπτωκας, καὶ μετανόησον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἔργα ποίησον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι, καὶ κινήσω τὴν λυχνίαν σου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτῆς, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσῃς. 6 ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἔχεις ὅτι μισεῖς τὰ ἔργα τῶν Νικολαϊτῶν, ἃ κἀγὼ μισῶ. 7 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. τῷ νικῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ φαγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ.

INTRODUCTION 1. According to Mounce, “Most contemporary commentators understand the letters as an integral part of the Apocalypse, but differ as to their nature and purpose. Dispensational writers take them as real letters to historical churches, but also as a preview of church history in its downward course toward Laodicean lukewarmness. Walvood says that to interpret such a remarkable progression as pure accident would be incredible.”168 Richardson, on the other hand, maintains that this idea ‘based on pure fancy’ and argues that God is in control of history, moving it toward ultimate victory through the agency of the church.”169 2. Regarding the praise-blame rhetoric of Revelation 2-3, Richard B. Hays posits, “The prophetic indictments focus on two basic issues: involvement in idolatry through eating idol-food (2:14-15, 20) and complacency (2:4-5; 3:1-3; 3:15-17), perhaps related to excessive wealth.”170

168 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 64-65. 169 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 64-65. 170 Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), p. 176. 50

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 3. David Aune argues, the structure and rhetorical force of each letter to the seven churches sounds much like an edict from an emperor.171 Or, as Witherington claims, the proclamations are not unrelated to Old Testament prophetic letters.172 4. Witherington argues the rhetoric of Revelation 2-3 is deliberative.173 Deliberative rhetoric, was sometimes called "legislative" oratory. Deliberative oratory originally had to do exclusively with that sort of speaking typical of political legislatures. This sort of oratory was oriented towards policy and thus considered the future and whether given laws would benefit or harm society. Aristotle considered four special topics of invention, grouped in pairs, to pertain to deliberative oratory: the good and the unworthy; and the advantageous and the disadvantageous.174 5. The “angels of the seven churches are mentioned collectively only here in Revelation and individually in the introductions to each of the seven proclamations (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14).”175 6. Immediately we encounter an interpretive challenge with the individual addresses to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Specifically, John, writing on behalf of Jesus, addresses the angel (second person singular) of the church. We know based on Revelation 1:20, that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. “Angels play a prominent role in mediating this revelation vision to John. Angelic mediation is frequently found in other prophetic and apocalyptic literature. In the Old Testament angels are sent to interpret the visions given to Ezekiel (Ezek. 40-48), Daniel (Daniel 7-12), and Zechariah (Zech. 1- 6).”176 Why is John addressing the specific angel assigned to each of the respective churches? Who is responsible for the health (note the series of epideictic states establishing praise and blame, of the churches177), angels or pastors and or other human leaders? 7. Citing Feuillet, Mounce notes, [Revelation 2-3] “form a sequel to chapter 1 and are part of a common epistle sent to all seven [churches]. Feuillet suggests that a greater emphasis should be placed on their being oracles. Christ comes to inspect his churches, and issues words of warning and notes of encouragement. The utterances, says Feuillet, resemble the prophetic oracles of the Old Testament more than the epistles of the New Testament.”178 There is a general pattern to the letters which may be set out as follows:179

171 Aune David. “The Form and Function of the Proclamations to the Seven Churches (Revelation 1-3),” NTS 36 (1990), pp. 182-204. As cited by Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 90. 172 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 90. 173 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 90. 174 Source: http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Branches%20of%20Oratory/Deliberative.htm 175 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 107. 176 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 249. 177 The Greek epideictic means "fit for display." Thus, this branch of oratory is sometimes called "ceremonial" or "demonstrative" oratory. Epideictic oratory was oriented to public occasions calling for speech or writing in the here and now. Funeral orations are a typical example of epideictic oratory. The ends of epideictic included praise or blame, and thus the long history of encomia and invectives, in their various manifestations, can be understood in the tradition of epideictic oratory. Aristotle assigned "virtue (the noble)" and "vice (the base)" as those special topics of invention that pertained to epideictic oratory. Source: http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Branches%20of%20Oratory/Epideictic.htm 178 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 65, citing Feuillet, A. The Apocalypse, trans. By Thomas E. Crane (Staten Island, NY: Alba House, 1965), p. 48-49. 179 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 58. 51

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. The greeting with the Commissioning Formula.180 “The commissioning formula, which provides an introductory narrative framework for many OT prophetic speeches, provides a striking introduction to each of the seven proclamations. Note, “thus says” (tade legei) and the edicts of the emperor. b. An epithet or title of the risen Christ with “descriptive phrases taken from the vision in chapter 1.”181 c. The “says this” (tade legei) formula.182 d. “I know” Section introducing praise (rhetoric of praise). e. “I have this against you” Section introduction criticism (rhetoric of blame). f. A warning/Call to repent. g. An exhortation to hear. i. All seven churches are exhorted with the statement, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”183 Aune indicates this exhortation has bene labeled a Weckformel, i.e., a formula which calls attention to the significance of what has been said.”184 h. A promise / “eschatological promises given to the victors who overcome.”185 8. Morris posits, “A further pattern is to be discerned in the sevenfold arrangement. Churches 1 and 7 are in grace danger, churches 2 and 6 are in excellent shape, churches 3, 4, and 5, are middling, neither very good or very bad.”186 This pattern is chiastic in structure:187 a. A. Ephesus, i. B. Smyrna, 1. C. Pergamum, a. D. Thyatira (the letter to the church at “Thyatira is the longest-230 words in the Greek text”).188 2. C. Sardis, ii. B. Philadelphia, b. A. Laodicea 9. Hays states, “The aim of the letters to the seven churches is simultaneously to comfort the afflicted (Smyrna, Philadelphia) and to afflict the comfortable (Sardis, Laodocea).”189 Hays comment is appreciated but falls short of the mark regarding scholarship. His statement reads more like a preachism than a scholarly consensus giving reasonable consideration of the data. 10. Other

180 Aune. David E. Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), p. 275. 181 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 65. 182 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 91. 183 See Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Revelation 13:9. 184 Aune. David E. Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), p. 275, citing V. Taylor, The Gospel According to St. Mark, p. 254. 185 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 258. 186 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 58. 187 In my estimation, Thyatira is unique in comparison to Pergamum and Sardis, over her tolerance of Jezebel. 188 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 258. 189 Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), p. 176. 52

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 EXEGESIS 1. 1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: Τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ κρατῶν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑπτὰ λυχνιῶν τῶν χρυσῶν· a. Introduction to the city of Ephesus: i. Summary190 1. Ephesus (modern Selcuk), was the fourth largest city in the Roman empire (Rome, Syrian Antioch, and Alexandria). 2. Population: 225,000 to 250,000. 3. Inscription: “First and Greatest Metropolis of Asia”. 4. Ephesus was the port of entry into this part of Asia Minor, making Ephesus a political, cultural, religious, and commercial center. Acts 19 indicates Ephesus was both a violent city and yet open for the working of God. 5. The city became the official residence of the Roman proconsul of Asia. 6. Ephesus was know throughout the ancient world as the temple keeper of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world. The temple measured 220 x 425 feet. 7. At least fifteen known temples existed to gods, goddesses, and the emperor(s). 8. Domitian had named Ephesus the guardian (neokoros or warden) of the imperial cult.191 “Ephesus was also the center of the imperial cult, boasting six imperial temples, one honoring Roma and Julius Caesar, two honoring Augustus, one honoring Domitian, and two honoring Hadrian.”192 9. The city was destroyed by the Goths in AD 262. 10. Notes for slides: The Agora Gate of Ephesus (AKA The Mazeus and Mithridates Gate): Translation: “From the Emperor Caesar Augustus, the son of the god, the greatest of the priests, who was consul twelve and tribune twenty times; and the wife of August Livia; the son of Lucus, Marc Agrippa who was consul three times, Emperor, and tribune six times; and the daughter of Julio Caesar Augustus, Mazeus and Mythridates to their master and the people.”193 b. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: i. Angel ἀγγέλῳ (dative masculine singular of ἄγγελος). The dative case gives personal interest, pointing out the person to or for whom something is done. When it refers to a person, it indicates the one who is concerned about or

190 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 260. 191 “Only a few years before Revelation was likely written, Ephesus had a new cult site for the emperors and celebrated the Olympic games in honor of Domitian.” See Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 95. 192 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 154. 193 Source: http: //biblicalephesus.com/ephesus/mazeus-and-mithridates-gate 53

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 affected by the action of the verb. When it refers to an object, it refers to the setting or framework in which an action takes place.194 ii. Morris acknowledges, “The greeting is not actually to the church but to the angel of the church of Ephesus (for angel see on 1:20).”195 Morris indicates “It is not clear what angel means here (1:20). The word means ‘messenger’ and can be used of human messengers (cf., Luke 7:24; 9:52). But it is much more often used of heavenly beings, God’s ‘messengers’. Indeed in Revelation, apart from the references in the first three chapters to the angels of the churches, there is no place where it does not refer to heavenly beings, and as the term is found sixty-seven times in all this consideration is important.”196 1. Interpretive Option 1: “Some have understood it to mean something like ‘guardian angels’ of the churches (cf., Matthew 18:10), but there is no evidence that churches have heavenly beings associated with them in this way.”197 Aune notes that the word ἄγγελος is “used in various texts to refer to heavenly representatives of earthly nations, and by extension this has suggested to many scholars that the ἄγγελοι in question refer to the angelic guardians or representatives of earthly churches.”198 For example, the angel Michael is the “champion or the prince of the nation of Israel (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; cf., 1 Enoch 20:5).”199 It is interesting that the LXX version of Deuteronomy 32:8 reads, “He [God] established the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels [ἀγγέλων θεοῦ] of God.”200 See Matthew 18:10, “10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Also, Acts 12:15, “15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” Stephen F. Noll argues, “The nearly unanimous view today is that these angels are not elders or bishops but spiritual entities like the angelic princes of the nations. Each angel is so closely identified with the congregation that John occasionally addresses it in the second person plural (Revelation 2:10, 13).”201 Watson comports with Noll positing, the usage of ἄγγελος in Revelation and “virtually all know occurrences refer to supernatural beings.”202

194 Source: http://ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/classify-dative.htm 195 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 59. 196 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 56. 197 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 56. 198 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 110. 199 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 110. 200 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 110. 201 Noll, Stephen F. “Angels, Heavenly Beings, Angel Christology” in Dictionary of the Later New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 46. Noll notes, “The angels are not necessarily holy (cf., the twenty- four elders). Indeed, Christ calls them to repentance.” (p. 46). 202 Watson, Duane F. “Angels of the Seven Churches” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary Vol 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), p. 255. 54

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Interpretive Option 2: “Others prefer to think of some earthly representative of the churches. The great advantage of this view is that such a person is a much more natural recipient of a letter to the church than is any heavenly being. The messengers who took the letters to the churches are mentioned, but there seems to be no reason for addressing the letters to these ‘postmen’.”203 Hemer notes that “In the Septuagint is used in rare instances of a human messenger of God (Malachi 2:7; 3:1; cf. 1.1), where the LXX so renders the name of title ‘Malachi’ itself).”204 Watson states, “The leaders of the church, perhaps their bishops, is also a possible identification. However, elsewhere in the New Testament, ἄγγελος is never used to designate a church leader.”205 3. Interpretive Option 3: The “‘angels’ are personifications of the churches.”206 “Some think of the expression as pointing to the essential ‘spirit’ of the churches. Thus Swete can say, ‘In this symbolic book the angel of the Church may be simply an expression for its prevailing spirit, and thus be identified with the Church itself.’”207 Morris concludes that the word angel probably refers to the ‘spirits’ of the churches, standing for and symbolizing the churches.”208 So Walter Wink who asserts angels “are the corporate personality and vocation of each congregation.”209 So Duane F. Watson who argues, “Widely accepted is the position that the angels are personifications of the prevailing spirit of the churches, the spiritual counterpart of the earthly reality.”210 4. Interpretive Option 4: The angels are “literal human messengers.”211 The word means ‘messenger’ and can be used of human messengers (cf., Luke 7:24; 9:52). 5. Interpretive Option 5: “The term [angel] is used in some complex and elusive way or at differing levels, so that we cannot expect to assign it a lexical equivalent that tells the whole story.”212 iii. CONCLUSION:

203 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 57. 204 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 32. 205 Watson, Duane F. “Angels of the Seven Churches” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary Vol 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), p. 255. 206 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 32. 207 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 56. 208 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 57. 209 Noll, Stephen F. “Angels, Heaving Beings, Angel Christology” in Dictionary of the Later New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 46. 210 Watson, Duane F. “Angels of the Seven Churches” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary Vol 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), p. 255. 211 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 32. 212 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 32. 55

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. We should remember that certain angels were in fact given the task of communicating information (a message) as assigned in the Old and New Testaments. For example: a. Revelation 1:1-2, 1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” 2. “Angels play a prominent role in mediating this revelation vision to John. Angelic mediation is frequently found in other prophetic and apocalyptic literature. In the Old Testament angels are sent to interpret the visions given to Ezekiel (Ezek. 40-48), Daniel (Daniel 7-12), and Zechariah (Zech. 1-6).”213 3. Mounce argues, “In apocalyptic thought the forces of nature are often pictured as under the charge of angels. Later in Revelation we are introduced to ‘the angel in charge of the waters’ (16:15) and the angel ‘who had the charge of fire’ (14:18).”214 c. The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, i. Seven stars ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας, is symbolic language for the seven angels (Revelation 1:20). d. the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, i. seven golden lampstands ἑeπτὰ λυχνιῶν τῶν χρυσῶν, is symbolic language for the seven churches. e. says this: i. Says this (Τάδε λέγει) is culturally pointed. 2. 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 2 Οἶδα τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ τὸν κόπον καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ ὅτι οὐ δύνῃ βαστάσαι κακούς, καὶ ἐπείρασας τοὺς λέγοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστόλους, καὶ οὐκ εἰσίν, καὶ εὗρες αὐτοὺς ψευδεῖς· a. ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, i. I know (Οἶδα perfect active indicative first person singular of οἶδα). ii. Deeds of you ἔργα σου, deeds or works of you. iii. Toil and perseverance b. and that you cannot tolerate evil men, i. Tolerate (βαστάσαι aorist active infinitive of βαστάζω). The term βαστάζω refers to the act of carrying or bearing something, to bear a burden, to endure, to remove or carry away.215 1. Aune argues “the author again uses paronomasia or a pun, for the two aorist verbs βαστάσαι and ἐβάστασας (v 3) occur in close proximity (L. L Thompson, Revelation, 49); in both instances the

213 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 249. 214 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 155. 215 Bauer, Gingrich and Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1979), p. 137. 56

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 verb has the same meaning, but the first occurrence is used negatively, the second positively; that the Ephesians cannot ‘endure’ wicked people,’ refers to the self-styled apostles mentioned in v 2c.”216 ii. Evil men, this statement is an identifying label for false apostles. c. and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, i. Test ii. Fiorenza argues these apostles are in all likelihood itinerant missionaries and therefore the influence of the Nicolaitans came from outside the church.217 iii. Didache 11:1-12, “1 Whosoever then comes and teaches you all these things aforesaid, receive him. 2 But if the teacher himself be perverted and teach another doctrine to destroy these things, do not listen to him, but if his teaching be for the increase of righteousness and knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord. 3 And concerning the Apostles and Prophets, act thus according to the ordinance of the Gospel. 4 Let every Apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord, 5 but let him not stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three days, he is a false prophet. 6 And when an Apostle goes forth let him accept nothing but bread till he reach his night's lodging; but if he ask for money, he is a false prophet. 7 Do not test or examine any prophet who is speaking in a spirit, "for every sin shall be forgiven, but this sin shall not be forgiven." 8 But not everyone who speaks in a spirit is a prophet, except he have the behaviour of the Lord. From his behaviour, then, the false prophet and the true prophet shall be known. 9 And no prophet who orders a meal in a spirit shall eat of it: otherwise he is a false prophet. 10 And every prophet who teaches the truth, if he do not what he teaches, is a false prophet. 11 But no prophet who has been tried and is genuine, though he enact a worldly mystery of the Church, if he teach not others to do what he does himself, shall be judged by you: for he has his judgment with God, for so also did the prophets of old. 12 But whosoever shall say in a spirit `Give me money, or something else,' you shall not listen to him; but if he tell you to give on behalf of others in want, let none judge him.” iv. Didache 15:1-4, “1 Appoint therefore for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, meek men, and not lovers of money, and truthful and approved, for they also minister to you the ministry of the prophets and teachers. 2 Therefore do not despise them, for they are your honourable men together with the prophets and teachers. 3 And reprove one another not in wrath but in peace as you find in the Gospel, and let none speak with any who has done a wrong to his neighbour, nor let him hear a word from you until he repents. 4 But your prayers and alms and all your acts perform as ye find in the Gospel of our Lord.” v. Didache 16:1-4, “1 ‘Watch’ over your life: ‘let your lamps’ be not quenched ‘and your loins’ be not ungirded, but be ‘ready,’ for ye know not ‘the hour

216 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 143. 217 Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul." Journal of Biblical Literature 92, no. 4 (1973): 565-81. doi:10.2307/3263124. 57

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 in which our Lord cometh.’ 2 But be frequently gathered together seeking the things which are profitable for your souls, for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you except ye be found perfect at the last time; 3 for in the last days the false prophets and the corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall change to hate; 4 for as lawlessness increaseth they shall hate one another and persecute and betray, and then shall appear the deceiver of the world as a Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders and the earth shall be given over into his hands and he shall commit iniquities which have never been since the world began.” d. and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3. 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 3 καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις, καὶ ἐβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακες. a. and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, i. Name’s sake. This is an example of “metonymy in which ‘name’ refers to the person of the exalted Jesus, so that the whole phrase really means ‘because of me’.”218 b. and have not grown weary. i. Grown weary (κεκοπίακες perfect active indicative of κοπιάω). The word κοπιάω refers to physical, mental, and spiritual exertion and exhaustion.219 4. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες. a. But I have this against you, b. that you have left your first love. i. Witherington argues, the love referenced here is contextually suggests brotherly and sisterly love.220 5. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 5 μνημόνευε οὖν πόθεν πέπτωκας, καὶ μετανόησον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἔργα ποίησον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι, καὶ κινήσω τὴν λυχνίαν σου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτῆς, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσῃς. a. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, i. Remember (μνημόνευε present active imperative of μνημονεύω). ii. In psychotherapy, one of the ways a clinic is treated is to guide them in identifying triggers and ways these “feelings, facts, or ideas” are motivating them to engage in unhealthy or pathological belief or behavior. Sometimes we have to go backward in time and remember the place where we experienced trauma. iii. Fallen (πέπτωκας perfect active indicative of πίπτω). The term refers to a downward perspective, to fall down from a higher place, to be cast down, to be brought down to condemnation, to fall to pieces.221

218 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 146. 219 Bauer, Gingrich and Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1979), p. 443. 220 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 96. 221 Bauer, Gingrich and Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1979), p. 659. 58

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. and repent; i. Repent (μετανόησον aorist active imperative of μετανοέω). c. and do the deeds you did at first καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἔργα ποίησον i. Literal translation: “and the first works do” ii. Do (ποίησον aorist active imperative of ποιέω). d. or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place e. —unless you repent. 6. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 6 ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἔχεις ὅτι μισεῖς τὰ ἔργα τῶν Νικολαϊτῶν, ἃ κἀγὼ μισῶ. a. 6 Yet this you do have, b. that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, i. You hate ( present active indicative second person plural of μισέω). ii. Nicolaitans, (Νικολαϊτῶν) the word literally means “victory people” (nike and laos).222 1. Hurtado warns, “We have no secure knowledge of what Nicolaitans believed or what the name signifies. We have only brief polemical characterizations.”223 2. It has been argued that the Nicolaitans are followers of Nicolas, one of the seven deacons approved for ministry in Acts 6. “If this tradition is correct (and they fact that it is most unusual for any Christian mentioned in the New Testament to be later associated in tradition with heresy suggests that it may be true), the formation of the sect must have been in the early period.”224 “Irenaeus asserts that this sect was founded by Nicolas who was the proselyte from Antioch, one of the seven appointed by the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5).”225 von Harnack associates Nicolas of Acts 6:5 with the Nicolaitans of Revelation 2.226 Heiligenthal suggest there may be connective roots to the strong in the Pauline congregations (cf., Corinth and Rome).227 3. Fiorenza, as cited by Mounce, “identifies the Nicolaitans as a Christian group within the churches of Asia Minor whose professed insight into the divine allowed them freedom to become part of their syncretistic pagan society.”228 Revelation 2 (Ephesus, Pergamum, and Thyatira) presents an attack on the deeds and doctrine of the Nicolaitans.229

222 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 96. 223 Hurtado, Larry W. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), p. 523. 224 Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1970), p. 955. 225 Watson, E. Mills. “Nicolaitans” in Dictionary of the Christian Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), p. 710. 226 Von Harnack, Adolf. "The Sect of the Nicolaitans and Nicolaus, the Deacon in Jerusalem." The Journal of Religion 3, no. 4 (1923): 413-22. www.jstor.org/stable/1195080. 227 Heiligenthal.“Wer waren die ‘Nicolaiten’? ZNW, 82 [1991], 133-37). 228 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 71, n 25, Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. “Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul,” JBL, 92 [1973], 565-81; esp. 579. 229 Von Harnack, Adolf. "The Sect of the Nicolaitans and Nicolaus, the Deacon in Jerusalem." The Journal of Religion 3, no. 4 (1923): 413-22. www.jstor.org/stable/1195080. 59

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 4. Hemer posits, “The issue may well turn upon the question whether the main thrust of opposition in Ephesus was Judaistic or libertarian. Nicolaitanism was certainly a movement of the latter kind.”230 Donald Guthrie is correct stating, the Nicolaitans are “introduced in such as way as to suggest an established and well-known sect which needed only to be referred to by name.”231 Although Watson posits, a significant number of scholars seems to be against this view.”232 5. Nicolaitanism “is presented wholly as a practical error, for διδαχὴν is here applied to Balaam’s practical counsel (cf., Beckwith, p. 460). He taught Balak to cause Israel to stumble by eating things scarified to idols and by committing fornication. The association of these sins goes back to [Numbers 25:1-5], “While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”233 6. Note: In Revelation 2:20, Jezebel is represented as inculcating the same sins, but the order is reversed.”234 iii. Ancient sources: 1. Irenaeus,235 Against Heresies, 1.26.1-3, “1. Cerinthus, again, a man who was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians, taught that the world was not made by the primary God, but by a certain Power far separated from him, and at a distance from that Principality who is supreme over the universe, and ignorant of him who is above all. He represented Jesus as having not been born of a virgin, but as being the son of Joseph and Mary according to the ordinary course of human generation, while he nevertheless was more righteous, prudent, and wise than other men. Moreover, after his baptism, Christ descended upon him in the form of a dove from the Supreme Ruler, and that then he proclaimed the unknown Father, and performed miracles. But at last Christ departed from Jesus, and that then Jesus suffered and rose again, while Christ remained

230 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 39. 231 Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1970), p. 955. 232 Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1970), p. 955. 233 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 91. 234 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 91. 235 Irenaeus of Lyons wrote his Against Heresies c. 175-185 CE. His work is invaluable to modern scholarship in the attempt to recover the content of Gnostic teachings in the second century. Irenaeus also provides the first explicit witness to a four-fold gospel canon. Source: http://earlychristianwritings.com/irenaeus.html 60

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 impassible, inasmuch as he was a spiritual being. 2. Those who are called Ebionites agree that the world was made by God; but their opinions with respect to the Lord are similar to those of Cerinthus and Carpocrates. They use the Gospel according to Matthew only, and repudiate the Apostle Paul, maintaining that he was an apostate from the law. As to the prophetical writings, they endeavour to expound them in a somewhat singular manner: they practise circumcision, persevere in the observance of those customs which are enjoined by the law, and are so Judaic in their style of life, that they even adore Jerusalem as if it were the house of God. 3. The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, [when they are represented] as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Wherefore the Word has also spoken of them thus: "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." 2. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.11.1, “1 John, the disciple of the Lord, preaches this faith, and seeks, by the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men, and a long time previously by those termed Nicolaitans, who are an offset of that "knowledge" falsely so called, that he might confound them, and persuade them that there is but one God, who made all things by His Word; and not, as they allege, that the Creator was one, but the Father of the Lord another; and that the Son of the Creator was, forsooth, one, but the Christ from above another, who also continued impossible, descending upon Jesus, the Son of the Creator, and flew back again into His Pleroma; and that Monogenes was the beginning, but Logos was the true son of Monogenes; and that this creation to which we belong was not made by the primary God, but by some power lying far below Him, and shut off from communion with the things invisible and ineffable. The disciple of the Lord therefore desiring to put an end to all such doctrines, and to establish the rule of truth in the Church, that there is one Almighty God, who made all things by His Word, both visible and invisible; showing at the same time, that by the Word, through whom God made the creation, He also bestowed salvation on the men included in the creation; thus commenced His teaching in the Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made. What was made was life in Him, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." "All things," he says, "were made by Him; "therefore in "all things" this creation of ours is [included], for we cannot concede to these men that [the words] "all things" are spoken

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 in reference to those within their Pleroma. For if their Pleroma do indeed contain these, this creation, as being such, is not outside, as I have demonstrated in the preceding book; but if they are outside the Pleroma, which indeed appeared impossible, it follows, in that case, that their Pleroma cannot be “all things”: therefore this vast creation is not outside [the Pleroma].” 3. The late second-century write, Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 2.20, “Such also are those (who say that they follow Nicolaus, quoting an adage of the man, which they pervert, ‘that the flesh must be abused.’ But the worthy man showed that it was necessary to check pleasures and lusts, and by such training to waste away the impulses and propensities of the flesh. But they, abandoning themselves to pleasure like goats, as if insulting the body, lead a life of self-indulgence; not knowing that the body is wasted, being by nature subject to dissolution; while their soul is buffed in the mire of vice; following as they do the teaching of pleasure itself, not of the apostolic man. For in what do they differ from Sardanapalus, whose life is shown in the epigram: "I have what I ate -- what I enjoyed wantonly; And the pleasures I felt in love. But those Many objects of happiness are left, For I too am dust, who ruled great Ninus. 4. Hippolytus,236 The Refutation of All Heresies, 7.24, (c. 225-235 AD) “While, however, different questions have arisen among them, a certain (heretic), who himself also was styled Theodotus, and who was by trade a banker, attempted to establish (the doctrine), that a certain Melchisedec constitutes the greatest power, and that this one is greater than Christ. And they allege that Christ happens to be according to the likeness (of this Melchisedec). And they themselves, similarly with those who have been previously spoken of as adherents of Theodotus, assert that Jesus is a (mere) man, and that, in conformity with the same account (already given), Christ descended upon him. There are, however, among the Gnostics diversities of opinion; but we have decided that it would not be worth while to enumerate the silly doctrines of these (heretics), inasmuch as they are (too) numerous and devoid of reason, and full of blasphemy. Now, even those (of the heretics) who are of a more serious turn in regard of the Divinity, and have derived their systems of speculation from the Greeks, must stand convicted (of these charges). But Nicolaus has been a cause of the wide-spread combination of these wicked men. He, as one of the seven (that were chosen) for the diaconate, was appointed by the Apostles. (But Nicolaus) departed from correct doctrine, and was in the habit of inculcating indifferency of both life and food. And when the disciples (of Nicolaus) continued to offer insult to the Holy Spirit, John reproved them in the Apocalypse as fornicators and eaters of things offered unto idols.”

236 Hippolytus of Rome wrote in the early third century. Source: http://earlychristianwritings.com/hippolytus.html 62

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. Victorinus of Pettau, (d. 304 AD) 237 the first commentator on Revelation said, “For the works of the Nicolaitans: before this time, false and disease-bearing men, ministers in the name of Nicolaus, made for themselves a heresy, (saying) that something devoted (to an idol) may be exorcized and eaten, and that whoever had fornicated could receive the peace on the eighth day.”238 6. Eusebius, The History of the Church, 3.29.1-4,239 1. At this time the so-called sect of the Nicolaitans made its appearance and lasted for a very short time. Mention is made of it in the Apocalypse of John. They boasted that the author of their sect was Nicolaus, one of the deacons who, with Stephen, were appointed by the apostles for the purpose of ministering to the poor. Clement of Alexandria, in the third book of his Stromata, relates the following things concerning him. 2. “They say that he had a beautiful wife, and after the ascension of the Saviour, being accused by the apostles of jealousy, he led her into their midst and gave permission to any one that wished to marry her. For they say that this was in accord with that saying of his, that one ought to abuse the flesh. And those that have followed his heresy, imitating blindly and foolishly that which was done and said, commit fornication without shame. 3. But I understand that Nicolaus had to do with no other woman than her to whom he was married, and that, so far as his children are concerned, his daughters continued in a state of virginity until old age, and his son remained uncorrupt. If this is so, when he brought his wife, whom he jealously loved, into the midst of the apostles, he was evidently renouncing his passion; and when he used the expression, ‘to abuse the flesh,’ he was inculcating self-control in the face of

237 Victorinus of Pettau: “Claudio Moreschini writes, "Victorinus wrote commentaries on nine books of the Bible, which seem to have been chosen with the idea of studying the most famous of the historical (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus) and prophetic (Isaiah, Exekiel, Obadiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) books, and the Apocalypse. He also authored a commentary on Matthew. His exegesis was completely under the influence of Origen, who at that time was the most famous student of the sacred text; thus his fame had spread from Alexandria to distant Noricum. The method Victorinus followed seems to have been to compose 'scholia' after the manner of Origen. The interpretation is primarily allegorical, with a marked interest in arithmology. Despite his spiritualist exegesis, Victorinus supposedly professed millennialism in its crudest form, and for this he was much criticized." (Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature, p. 397).” Also, “…bishop and martyr. He was apparently a Greek by birth, and (according to the repeated statement of Cassiodorus) a rhetorician before he became bp. of Pettau (Petavio) in Upper Pannonia. He is believed to have suffered martyrdom in Diocletian's persecution. St. Jerome (our chief authority concerning him) mentions him several times, and with respect even where his criticisms are adverse. He enumerates, among his works (Catal. Script. Eccl. 74) commentaries on Gen., Ex., Lev., Is., Ezek., Hab., Eccles., Cant., Matt., and Rev., besides a treatise "adversus omnes haereses." Jerome occasionally cites the opinion of Victorinus (in Eccles. iv. 13; in Ezech. xxvi. and elsewhere), but considered him to have been affected by the opinions of the Chiliasts or Millenarians (see Catal. Script. 18, and in Ezech. l.c.). He also states that he borrowed extensively from Origen. In consequence, perhaps, of his Millennarian tendencies, or of his relations to Origen, his works were classed as "apocrypha" in the Decretum de Libris Recipiendis, which Baronius (ad ann. 303) erroneously refers to a synod held under Gelasius. Little or nothing is left—nothing; indeed, which can be said to be his with any certainty. Poems are attributed to him with no authority better than that of Bede; while the two lines Bede quotes as his were clearly written by some one with a tolerable knowledge of Latin.” Source: http s://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=Victorinus 238 Source: htt p://www.preteristarchive.com/StudyArchive/v/victorinus-of-petau.html 239 Source: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.viii.xxix.html 63

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 those pleasures that are eagerly pursued. For I suppose that, in accordance with the command of the Saviour, he did not wish to serve two masters, pleasure and the Lord. 4. But they say that Matthias also taught in the same manner that we ought to fight against and abuse the flesh, and not give way to it for the sake of pleasure, but strengthen the soul by faith and knowledge.” So much concerning those who then attempted to pervert the truth, but in less time than it has taken to tell it became entirely extinct.” iv. Concluding comments about the Nicolaitans: 1. Duane F. Watson states, “It has been proposed that the name Nicolaitan is an etymological play on the Hebrew name ‘Balaam.’ Balaam can be the contracted form bãla((am (‘he has destroyed the people’) or bã(al (am, (‘lord of the people’). Nicolaitan also could be the Greek equivalent of nika laon (‘he has conquered the people’).”240 Beale argues that the coterminity between the Greek name Nicolaitan and the Hebrew name Balaam is based more on their common teachings.241 Topham speculates that the Hebrew transliteration of the Greek name numerically equals 666, which he suggests implies the Nicolaitans are associated with the second beast and false prophets of 13:11-18, and furthermore, the Nicolaitans encouraged idolatrous expressions of loyalty to the emperor.242 2. D. F. Wright states, the churches of Ephesus, Pergamum, and Thyatira “have been disturbed by the teachings of the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6, 15, presumably named after some Nicolas), whose ranks included a prophetess (Rev 2:20; she may well have named herself Jezebel). They appealed to Jewish traditions about Balaam (Rev 2:14; cf., 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Num 22-24) and propagated a religious and sexual libertinism (Rev 2:14, 20) with Jewish roots (especially if Rev 2:9 [Smyrna] and Rev 3:9 [Philadelphia] allude to the same movement). The Fathers from Irenaeus on incorporate the Nicolaitans into the inventories of gnosticizing heretics but apparently with no independent knowledge about them.”243 3. However, it is argued that the teaching of the Nicolaitans is not necessarily coterminous with the teaching of Balaam, but rather a teaching that may be differentiated from that of Balaam, i.e., “So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” The language of 2:15 suggests similarity in the embracing of false teaching not the coterminity of the teachings from two separate sources. a. Revelation 2:14-15, “14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of

240 Watson, Duane F. “Nicolaitans” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol 4 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), p. 1107. 241 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 251. 242 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 251, citing Topham, M. “Hanniqola ītēs 98 (1986) 44-45. 243 Wright, D. F. “Sexuality, Sexual Ethics” in The Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 1088. 64

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”244 4. Witherington, citing G. R. Beasley-Murray, posits, “the Nicolaitans may have been high-status Christians who believed a certain amount of compromise with the dominant culture was all right.”245 It is possible the Nicolaitans rationalized that “Even the Romans don’t really believe the Emperor is a god, so why not just go along, and have a good living as a member of the guild.”246 So de Silva who argues, “When John attacks the Nicolaitans as ‘disciples of Balaam,’ highlighting ‘eating food sacrificed to idols,’ the main issue appears to be whether or not Christians can participate in the religious life of the Greco-Roman society. There are obvious advantages for doing so. It eliminates all the tension between the church and society if Christians can again go out in public and show themselves pious and reliable through the participation in the cults and traditional gods and emperors. It keeps important economic channels open through membership in the trade guilds.”247 Harland argues that “members of Christian congregations in the cities of Roman Asia, especially at Pergamum and Thyatira, seem to have maintained affiliations with other local associations or guilds. There they would encounter food sacrificed to the Greco-Roman gods (‘idol-food’) in John’s terms). John ‘the seer’ clearly objects to these multiple affiliations and labels these involvements idolatry (eating idol-food) and ‘fornication’ (see esp. Rev 2:6, 14-17, 19-23). Associations and guilds were among the more prevalent local social settings in which one might encounter such sacrificial foods or meats.”248 Lampe states, “Renunciation of mean on principle (Romans 14:2) is conceivable, if former sebomenoi or Jewish Christians want to keep the Torah’s regulations about meat but in Rome cannot easily buy kosher meat slaughtered according to Jewish rites. Moreover, nowhere in the world capital can they be certain that thtey will not unknowingly carry home from the market meat offered to idols or treated in any other way acceptable to the Torah. The renunciation of all meat is demonstrable in a Jewish milieu. Some Jewish priests on a trip to Rome in the time of Nero ate only figs and nuts in order to avoid contact with meat offered to idols (Josephus, Vita 13-

244 Emphasis mine. 245 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 103, Beasley-Murray, G. B. The Book of Revelation (London: Oliphant, 1974), p. 92-94. 246 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 103. Italics mine. 247 de Silva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 904. 248 Harland, Philip A. Dynamics of Identity in the World of the Early Christians: Associations, Judeans, and Cultural Minorities (New York: T&T Clark, 2009), p. 158. 65

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 14).”249 Note Didache 6:1-3 (Roberts-Donaldson English translation), “See that no one causes you to err from this way of the Teaching, since apart from God it teaches you. For if you are able to bear the entire yoke of the Lord, you will be perfect; but if you are not able to do this, do what you are able. And concerning food, bear what you are able; but against that which is sacrificed to idols be exceedingly careful; for it is the service of dead gods.”250 5. David de Silva considers the Nicolaitan’s to be prophets of compromise and even like false apostles [cf., the prophetess Jezebel at 2:20]. He indicates the Nicolaitan’s are “followers of Balaam…[John understands them to be] a uniform group advocating a more tolerant and accommodating stance toward the non-Christian society and its expectations.”251 Contra de Silva, Aune argues, “The adversative ἀλλά, ‘but,’ marks the beginning of a new thought, suggesting that the false apostles of vs 2 are not to be identified with the Nicolaitans, a distinction made clear by the aorist tense of the verbs in v 2, while the present tense is used here.”252 6. Morris, citing Barclay, posits, “The false teachers claimed ‘not that they were destroying Christianity, but that they were presenting an improved and modernized version of it’ (Barclay).”253 7. The extent of the damage the Nicolaitans caused in the churches of Asia Minor is unknown.254 Mounce indicates, “This heretical group is mentioned both here and in the letter to Pergamum (2:15). The mention of eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality [or idolatry] in the letter to Thyatira (2:20-21) as well as in the letter to Pergamum (2:14, where this is connected with the teaching of Balaam and closely related to the teaching of the Nicolaitans) indicates that all three of the churches were in some way affected by the sect.”255 8. Fiorenza summarizes as follows: “The Nicolaitans are according to Revelation a Christian group within the churches of Asia Minor and have their adherents even among the itinerant missionaries and prophetic teachers of the community. They claim to have insight into the divine or, more probably, into the demonic. They express their freedom in libertine behavior, which allows them to become

249 Lampe, Peter. From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003), p. 73. 250 Source: http ://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html. Kirsopp Lake translation: “1 See "that no one make thee to err" from this Way of the teaching, for he teaches thee without God. 2 For if thou canst bear the whole yoke of the Lord, thou wilt be perfect, but if thou canst not, do what thou canst. 3 And concerning food, bear what thou canst, but keep strictly from that which is offered to idols, for it is the worship of dead gods.” 251 de Silva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 903-04. 252 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 147. 253 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 62. 254 Witherington III, Ben. The Indelible Image: The Theological and Ethical Thought World of the New Testament. Volume One: The Individual Witnesses (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009), p. 759. 255 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 71. 66

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 part of their syncretistic pagan society and the participate in the Roman civil religion.”256 9. Instead of maintaining a clear distinction between paganism and Christian faith, the Nicolaitans reduced “the distance from the pagan world. It says that one can eat meat offered to idols (Revelation 2:14, 20). It is accused of leading people astray into fornication – which probably means engaging in idolatry.”257 v. See usage of the term νικῶντι. c. which I also hate. ἃ κἀγὼ μισῶ. i. I also hate (μισῶ present active indicative first person singular of μισέω). For the idea of God hating someone or something is referenced in the following New Testament texts: 1. Romans 9:10-13, “10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 2. Revelation 2:6, “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” ii. von Harnack argues as libertines, the Nicolaitans “were shamelessly transgressing the decree of the apostles (Acts 15:28f). It is quite clear from the letter to Thyatira that the Nicolaitans were gnostics, for the words “we know the deep things of Satan” in Revelation 2:24 show that they had definitively formulated their Gnosis, and that it antinomian and libertine in character. If, now, the Nicolaitans designated their Gnosis “the deep things of Satan” they must have regarded Satan as a godlike being, i.e., they were either worshipers of Satan or were radical dualists. This would explain the intense repugnance which John has for the Nicolaitans, and the wrath with which he attacks them.”258 So Fiorenza and her comment about the Nicolaitans knowing the deep mysteries of God is according him [Satan] knowledge not of divine but of demonic realities.”259 iii. This expression is very significant as noted by Leon Morris. Morris states, “Notice that it is the deeds and not the person which are the objects of hatred.”260 7. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ 7 ὁ ἔχων

256 Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul." Journal of Biblical Literature 92, no. 4 (1973): 565-81. doi:10.2307/3263124. 257 Theissen, Gerd. The Religion of the Earliest Churches: Creating a Symbolic World (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999), p. 243. 258 Von Harnack, Adolf. "The Sect of the Nicolaitans and Nicolaus, the Deacon in Jerusalem." The Journal of Religion 3, no. 4 (1923): 413-22. www.jstor.org/stable/1195080. 259 Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul." Journal of Biblical Literature 92, no. 4 (1973): 565-81. doi:10.2307/3263124. 260 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 61. 67

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. τῷ νικῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ φαγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. a. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. i. The word churches ἐκκλησίαις is plural. This, according to Witherington, indicates these letters are circular and intended for all the churches to hear and heed.261 ii. See usage: 1. Matthew 11:11-15, “11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 2. Matthew 13:3-9, “3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” 3. Matthew 13:36-43, “36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” 4. Mark 4:21-25, “21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your

261 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 96. 68

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” b. To him who overcomes, τῷ νικῶντι i. Overcome (νικῶντι). This is certainly a play on words for John (paronomasia). He is contrasting those who ‘overcome’ in Christ against the Nicolaitans. Witherington is correct that νικῶντι is not a technical term for a martyr but rather a term for the faithful of God.262 See also Revelation 21:7, “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει ταῦτα, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ θεὸς καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι υἱός.” ii. See Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” c. I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in i. In my estimation, Ramsay is correct when he argued, “the Jewish expression ‘tree of life’ must be explained with relation to the meaning which Asian readers [hearers] might take from the phrase. He suggests the tree was full of meaning as a symbol ‘because to them the tree had always been the seat of Divine life and the intermediary between Divine and human nature’ (The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, p. 248).”263 See also W. M. Ramsay, Pauline and Other Studies, pp. 173ff. ii. Ramsay writes, “Every image or idea in this letter finds a parallel or an illustration in Jewish thought and literature. Yet it cannot be said with truth that the letter is exclusively Jewish in tone. There is nothing in it which would seem strange or foreign to the Hellenic or Hellenized people for whom the book was in the first instance written.”264 For example, “When the sacred olive tree on the Acropolis of Athens put forth a new shoot after the city had been burned by the Persians, the people knew that the safety of the State was assured.”265 d. the Paradise of God.’ i. Cf., Artemis as an asylum. ii. Mounce posits, “In Revelation 22:2, the tree of life produces perennial fruit in heavenly Jerusalem. Paradise was originally a Persian word for pleasure garden. In later Judaism it was used to portray the abode of the righteous dead. The paradise of God in Revelation symbolizes the eschatological state in which God and people are restored to that perfect fellowship which existed before the entrance of sin into the world.”266 8. Other

262 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 96. 263 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 46, citing, Ramsay, W. M. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse (London: 1904), p. 186. 264 Ramsay, W. M. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse (London: 1904), p. 186. 265 Ramsay, W. M. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse (London: 1904), p. 187. 266 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 72. 69

NOUTHETICS 1. Revelation 2:1-7, 2. 1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 3. 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 4. 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 5. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 6. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 7. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. a. Beale notes, “The church had a responsibility to cease tolerating this movement [the Balaam Party], to repent and to discipline its adherents, especially since there was another group called ‘Nicolaitans’ that was teaching the same things as the Balaam party (cf., 2:15).”267 8. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ a. The Ephesian church must “overcome by being God’s lampstand of witness,”268 and not by blending in with the light of Rome. 9. Other

267 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 251. 268 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 234. 70

REVELATION 2:8-11 THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

8 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, ὃς ἐγένετο νεκρὸς καὶ ἔζησεν·

9 Οἶδά σου τὴν θλῖψιν καὶ τὴν πτωχείαν, ἀλλὰ πλούσιος εἶ, καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐκ τῶν λεγόντων Ἰουδαίους εἶναι ἑαυτούς, καὶ οὐκ εἰσίν, ἀλλὰ συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ. 10 μηδὲν φοβοῦ ἃ μέλλεις πάσχειν. ἰδοὺ μέλλει βάλλειν ὁ διάβολος ἐξ ὑμῶν εἰς φυλακὴν ἵνα πειρασθῆτε, καὶ ἕξετε θλῖψιν ἡμερῶν δέκα. γίνου πιστὸς ἄχρι θανάτου, καὶ δώσω σοι τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς. 11 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. ὁ νικῶν οὐ μὴ ἀδικηθῇ ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ δευτέρου.

INTRODUCTION 1. Smyrna, now modern Izmir in Turkey, has a population of four million.269 The name Smyrna may be associated with the “usual Greek word for ‘myrrh’. Myrrh itself was explained aetiologically by the myth of Smyrna, or Myrrha, the mother of Adonis270 (Ov. Metam. 10.298-501).”271 Smyrna was said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Asia Minor, not unlike a perfectly formed flower.272

269 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 60. 270 See: “Adonis was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite in Greek mythology. In Ovid's first-century AD telling of the myth, he was conceived after Aphrodite cursed his mother Myrrha to lust after her own father, King Cinyras of Cyprus. Myrrha had sex with her father in complete darkness for nine nights, but he discovered her identity and chased her with a sword. The gods transformed her into a myrrh tree and, in the form of a tree, she gave birth to Adonis. Aphrodite found the infant and gave him to be raised by Persephone, the queen of the Underworld. Adonis grew into an astonishingly handsome young man, causing Aphrodite and Persephone to feud over him, with Zeus eventually decreeing that Adonis would spend one third of the year in the Underworld with Persephone, one third of the year with Aphrodite, and the final third of the year with whomever he chose. Adonis chose to spend his final third of the year with Aphrodite.” Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonis 271 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 58. 272 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 59. 71

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Ladd states, “Smyrna was situated some thirty-five miles north of Ephesus, and like the city was also a prosperous seaport town.”273 Wilson states, Smyrna was a “major seaport on a gulf of the Aegean located forty miles northwest of Ephesus.”274 3. Numismatic evidence reveals Smyrna was known as being “‘First of Asia in beauty and size’ – a statement continually contested by its chief rivals, Ephesus and Pergamum.”275 4. According to Wilson, the “Roman writer Cicero called Smyrna ‘the city of our most faithful and most ancient allies.’ Her long-time alliance with Rome began in 195 B.C. when Smyrna became the first city anywhere to erect a temple to the goddess Roma.”276 5. “In A.D. 26 Tiberius chose Smyrna from eleven Asian applicants to become the keeper for the second imperial cult temple in Asia. No archaeological evidence of this temple has yet been discovered.”277 6. “The city was noted even among the states of proconsular Asia as ‘a paradise of municipal vanity’. It claimed to be the birthplace of Homer.”278 7. The early church father, Polycarp was martyred at Smyrna c. A.D. 156279 a. 9:1 But as Polycarp entered into the stadium, a voice came to him from heaven; "Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man." And no one saw the speaker, but those of our people who were present heard the voice. And at length, when he was brought up, there was a great tumult, for they heard that Polycarp had been apprehended. 9:2 When then he was brought before him, the proconsul asked whether he were the man. And on his confessing that he was, he tried to persuade him to a denial saying, "Have respect to your age," and other things in accordance therewith, as it is their habit to say, "Swear by the genius of Caesar; repent and say, 'Away with the atheists.'" Then Polycarp with solemn countenance looked upon the whole multitude of lawless heathen that were in the stadium, and waved his hand to them; and groaning and looking up to heaven he said, "Away with the atheists." 9:3 But when the magistrate pressed him hard and said, "Swear the oath, and I will release you; revile the Christ," Polycarp said, "Eighty-six years have I been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" 10:1 But on his persisting again and saying, "Swear by the genius of Caesar," he answered, "If you suppose vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you say, and feign that you are ignorant who I am, hear you plainly: I am a Christian. But if you would learn the doctrine of Christianity, assign a day and give me a hearing." 10:2 The proconsul said, "Prevail upon the people." But Polycarp said, "As for yourself, I should have held you worthy of discourse; for we have been taught to render, as is proper, to princes and authorities appointed by God such honor as does us no harm; but as for these, I do not hold them worthy,

273 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 42. 274 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 263. 275 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 263. 276 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 263. See Cicero Phil 11.2.5. 277 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 263. 278 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 57. 279 Source: htt p://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycarp-smyrnaeans.html. This revision into modern English is by Richard Neil Shrout, from the translation of J.B. Lightfoot. 72

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 that I should defend myself before them." 11:1 Whereupon the proconsul said: "I have wild beasts here and I will throw you to them, except you repent." But he said, "Call for them, for the repentance from better to worse is a change not permitted to us; but it is a noble thing to change from that which is improper to righteousness." 11:2 Then he said to him again, "If you despise the wild beasts, I will cause you to be consumed by fire, unless you repent." But Polycarp said: "You threaten that fire which burns for a season and after a little while is quenched: for you are ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Come, do what you will." b. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, ὃς ἐγένετο νεκρὸς καὶ ἔζησεν· a. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: i. See comment above on angelic beings and the letters to the seven churches. b. The first and the last, i. The phrase ‘the First and the Last’ occurs three times in Revelation (1:17, 2:8; 22:13), always of Christ, and is an allusion to the divine title found in Isaiah 414:4; 44:6; 48:12.”280 ii. See Revelation 1:17-18, “17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” c. who was dead, and has come to life, says this: i. The wording of Revelation 1:18, “and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” is similar to Revelation 2:8. ii. See Revelation 1:17-18, “17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” iii. Aune posits, the citizens of Smyrna would find the “phrase ‘who was dead, and has come to life’ as striking. In 600 B.C., the Lydians destroyed Smyrna, three centuries later the city was re-founded and rebuilt by Antigonus and Lysimachus (cf., Strabo 14.1.37; Pausanias 7.51-3). Aelius Aristides (Or.21) celebrated the second restoration of Smyrna by Marcus Aurelius and Commodus after the earthquake of A.D. 178 and compares Smyrna with the legendary phoenix.”281 2. 9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 9 Οἶδά σου τὴν θλῖψιν καὶ τὴν πτωχείαν, ἀλλὰ πλούσιος εἶ, καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐκ τῶν λεγόντων Ἰουδαίους εἶναι ἑαυτούς, καὶ οὐκ εἰσίν, ἀλλὰ συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ. a. 9 ‘I know your tribulation i. Tribulation (θλῖψιν noun accusative singular feminine of θλῖψις).

280 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 160-61. 281 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 161. 73

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. Witherington asserts that “One factor that may explain the polemic against Jews in Revelation is the possibility that Jews distinguished themselves from Christians, thus forcing the latter to honor the emperor cult.282 If Christians are said to be non-Jews, then there were implications. Jews had a right to practice their own religion (something Rome allowed most ethnic groups they conquered to do), but in the Jews’ case abstaining from other gods was a component of their faith. If Christians could be shown to be Gentiles or no longer as Jews, they could not claim the benefits of an exemption from emperor worship, a precarious position in which to be.”283 2. According to Beale, “Until the latter part of the first century Christianity enjoyed a degree of protection under the umbrella of Judaism, which was tolerated by Rome. The Jews were not forced to worship Caesar as a god, but allowed to offer sacrifices in honor of emperors as rulers. After the Neronian persecution Christianity come under suspicion, since new religions were not acceptable in the empire. Jews, who sometimes had no qualms in semi-revering other deities along with their Old Testament God, often were only too willing to make the Roman authorities aware that the Christians were not a Jewish sect. Perhaps Jews were motivated to inform on Christians because they were irritated that some of their Jewish [brothers] or Gentile ‘godfearers’ were converting to Christianity (Ignatius, Smyrnaeans 1.2).”284 ii. See the following in the New Testament: 1. Matthew 27:15-18, “15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people anyone prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over.”

282 See a related concept Philippians 1:15-18, “15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” 283 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 99. 284 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 240. Note: “1:1 I glorify God even Jesus Christ, who hath thus made you wise; for I perceived that ye were perfected in immovable faith, as though ye were nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in flesh and in spirit, and firmly fixed in love in the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded with regard to our Lord, that he was truly of the race of David according to the flesh, the Son of God according to the will and power of God; truly born of a virgin; baptized by John, that all righteousness might be fulfilled by him; 1:2 truly nailed for us unto the cross in the flesh in the time of Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch; from the fruit of which cross are we, even from his divinely blessed passion, that he might raise up a sign unto the ages, by means of the resurrection, even unto the saints and them that believe in him, whether they be among the Jews or the Gentiles, in one body of his church.” Source: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-smyrnaeans- hoole.html 74

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Mark 15:10, “For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.” 3. John 5:13-16, “13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.” 4. John 9:22, “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.” 5. John 12:9-11, “9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. 6. Acts 13:45, “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.” 7. Acts 13:50, “But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.” 8. Acts 14:2-7, “2 But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. 3 Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them, 6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.” 9. Acts 14:19, “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” 10. Acts 17:5-9, “5 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; 7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 king, Jesus.” 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9 And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.” 11. 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16, “13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted It not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 14 For you, [brothers and sisters] brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.” b. and your poverty (but you are rich), i. Poverty (πτωχείαν noun accusative singular feminine of πτωχεία). Aune states, “The ‘poverty’ of the Smyrnaean Christians is apparently literal poverty, but it is used in opposition to πλούσιος, ‘rich,’ understood figuratively, probably in terms of eschatological wealth (Luke 6:20, Matthew 5:3; 6:19-21; Luke 12:33-34; Luke 12:21; 2 Cor 6:10; James 2:5.”285 Wilson indicates, “Believers have apparently lost their jobs of their businesses are being boycotted, hence depriving them of material support. Such economic discrimination is well known in many parts of the world even today where Christians comprise a minority.”286 ii. Why such poverty? 1. Witherington argues, “The poverty of the Christians here and elsewhere was possibly based in the guild system. To work at a particular trade one had to be member of a guild, but the latter required participation in various pagan religious ceremonies.”287 2. Aune acknowledges “uncompromising Christians found it difficult to make a living in a pagan environment.”288 c. and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, i. John may be implying that these people may be Jews by birth, but by their actions towards God’s true children, they prove themselves to be non-Jews. d. but are a synagogue of Satan. i. 3. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 10 μηδὲν φοβοῦ ἃ μέλλεις πάσχειν. ἰδοὺ μέλλει βάλλειν ὁ διάβολος ἐξ ὑμῶν εἰς φυλακὴν ἵνα πειρασθῆτε,

285 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 161. 286 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 263. 287 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 98. 288 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 161. 76

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 καὶ ἕξετε θλῖψιν ἡμερῶν δέκα. γίνου πιστὸς ἄχρι θανάτου, καὶ δώσω σοι τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς. a. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. i. Do not fear (φοβοῦ present, middle, imperative, second person, singular of φοβέω) b. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, c. so that you will be tested, i. Tested (πειρασθῆτε aorist passive subjunctive second person plural of πειράζω). ii. d. and you will have tribulation for ten days. i. Witherington states, this is “probably not a literal reference to ten days of suffering. More likely it means a definitive short period of time.”289 e. Be faithful until death, f. and I will give you the crown of life. i. The crown of life may provide a culture allusion to the wearing of “the laurel wreath won and worn by victors at Olympic and other Greek-style games. Pausanias says that Smyrna was famous for such games.”290 4. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” 11 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. ὁ νικῶν οὐ μὴ ἀδικηθῇ ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ δευτέρου. a. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. b. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” i. Overcomes (νικῶν present active participle nominative singular masculine of νικάω 1. Notice the responsibility and grace of the participle verb. c. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. 8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: 2. 9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. a. What does a heavenly perspective give us regarding earthly suffering? 3. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 4. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

289 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 101. 290 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 101. 77

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

12 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Περγάμῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὴν ῥομφαίαν τὴν δίστομον τὴν ὀξεῖαν·

13 Οἶδα ποῦ κατοικεῖς, ὅπου ὁ θρόνος τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καὶ κρατεῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσω τὴν πίστιν μου καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἀντιπᾶς, ὁ μάρτυς μου, ὁ πιστός μου, ὃς ἀπεκτάνθη παρ’ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ Σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ. 14 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὀλίγα, ὅτι ἔχεις ἐκεῖ κρατοῦντας τὴν διδαχὴν Βαλαάμ, ὃς ἐδίδασκεν τῷ Βαλὰκ βαλεῖν σκάνδαλον ἐνώπιον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα καὶ πορνεῦσαι· 15 οὕτως ἔχεις καὶ σὺ κρατοῦντας τὴν διδαχὴν Νικολαϊτῶν ὁμοίως. 16 μετανόησον οὖν· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι ταχύ, καὶ πολεμήσω μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ στόματός μου. 17 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. τῷ νικῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ τοῦ μάννα τοῦ κεκρυμμένου, καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ ψῆφον λευκήν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ψῆφον ὄνομα καινὸν γεγραμμένον ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ ὁ λαμβάνων.

INTRODUCTION 1. According to Witherington, “Pergamum was the capital city of the region and, like Corinth and Athens, had a huge acropolis on which sat various temples, such as those to Athena and Zeus.”291 2. Cited by Witherington, M. G. Reddish indicates at “the very top of the city’s acropolis was an imposing altar to Zeus ‘the Savior.’”292 3. Aune posits the population of Pergamum was 180,000 (Magie, Romans Rule 1:586; Frank, Economic Survey 4:812-16).293 4. “One of the great libraries of the ancient world (a collection of 200,000 volumes)294, rivaling the one in Alexandria, was located in Pergamum, and the city was so famous for book production that the modern term ‘parchment’ (the thin skins of certain animals, usually sheep, used for writing) was derived from [the word] ‘Pergamum.’”295

291 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 102. 292 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 102, citing M. G. Reddish, Revelation (2001), p. 59. 293 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 181. 294 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 102. 295 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 180. 78

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. One of Pergamum’s most “famous citizens was the physician Galen (ca. A.D. 129-99_, who began caring for gladiators in Pergamum and eventually became a court physician of emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome.”296 6. There was a “famous temple on the plain below the acropolis for the good Asclepios, the god of healing (see Pausanias 2.26.9).”297 See Pausanias 2.26-6 to 2.27.4, “[2.26.6] There is also another tradition concerning him. Coronis, they say, when with child with Asclepius, had intercourse with Ischys, son of Elatus. She was killed by Artemis to punish her for the insult done to Apollo, but when the pyre was already lighted Hermes is said to have snatched the child from the flames. [2.26.7] The third account is, in my opinion, the farthest from the truth; it makes Asclepius to be the son of Arsinoe, the daughter of Leucippus. For when Apollophanes the Arcadian, came to Delphi and asked the god if Asclepius was the son of Arsinoe and therefore a Messenian, the Pythian priestess gave this response:–Asclepius, born to bestow great joy upon mortals, Pledge of the mutual love I enjoyed with Phlegyas' daughter, Lovely Coronis, who bare thee in rugged land Epidaurus. This oracle makes it quite certain that Asclepius was not a son of Arsinoe, and that the story was a fiction invented by Hesiod, or by one of Hesiod's interpolators, just to please the Messenians. [2.26.8] There is other evidence that the god was born in Epidaurus for I find that the most famous sanctuaries of Asclepius had their origin from Epidaurus. In the first place, the Athenians, who say that they gave a share of their mystic rites to Asclepius, call this day of the festival Epidauria, and they allege that their worship of Asclepius dates from then. Again, when Archias, son of Aristaechmus, was healed in Epidauria after spraining himself while hunting about Pindasus, he brought the cult to Pergamus. [2.26.9] From the one at Pergamus has been built in our own day the sanctuary of Asclepius by the sea at Smyrna. Further, at Balagrae of the Cyreneans there is an Asclepius called Healer, who like the others came from Epidaurus. From the one at Cyrene was founded the sanctuary of Asclepius at Lebene, in Crete. There is this difference between the Cyreneans and the Epidaurians, that whereas the former sacrifice goats, it is against the custom of the Epidaurians to do so. [2.26.10] That Asclepius was considered a god from the first, and did not receive the title only in course of time, I infer from several signs, including the evidence of Homer, who makes Agamemnon say about Machaon:– Talthybius, with all speed go summon me hither Machaon, Mortal son of Asclepius. Hom. Il. 4.193As who should say, “human son of a god.” THE ASCLEPIUM OF EPIDAURUS [2.27.1] XXVII. The sacred grove of Asclepius is surrounded on all sides by boundary marks. No death or birth takes place within the enclosure the same custom prevails also in the island of Delos. All the offerings, whether the offerer be one of the Epidaurians themselves or a stranger, are entirely consumed within the bounds. At Titane too, I know, there is the same rule. [2.27.2] The image of Asclepius is, in size, half as big as the Olympian Zeus at Athens, and is made of ivory and gold. An inscription tells us that the artist was Thrasymedes, a Parian, son of Arignotus. The god is sitting on a seat grasping a staff; the other hand he is holding above the head of the serpent; there is also a figure of a dog lying by his side. On the seat are wrought in relief the exploits of Argive heroes, that of Bellerophontes against the Chimaera, and Perseus, who has cut off the head of Medusa. Over against the temple is the place where the suppliants of the god sleep. [2.27.3] Near has been built a circular building of white marble, called Tholos (Round House), which is worth seeing. In it is a picture by Pausias representing Love, who has cast

296 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 180. 297 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 102. 79

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 aside his bow and arrows, and is carrying instead of them a lyre that he has taken up. Here there is also another work of Pausias, Drunkenness drinking out of a crystal cup. You can see even in the painting a crystal cup and a woman's face through it. Within the enclosure stood slabs; in my time six remained, but of old there were more. On them are inscribed the names of both the men and the women who have been healed by Asclepius, the disease also from which each suffered, and the means of cure. The dialect is Doric.[2.27.4] Apart from the others is an old slab, which declares that Hippolytus dedicated twenty horses to the god. The Aricians tell a tale that agrees with the inscription on this slab, that when Hippolytus was killed, owing to the curses of Theseus, Asclepius raised him from the dead. On coming to life again he refused to forgive his father rejecting his prayers, he went to the Aricians in Italy. There he became king and devoted a precinct to Artemis, where down to my time the prize for the victor in single combat was the priesthood of the goddess. The contest was open to no freeman, but only to slaves who had run away from their masters.298 7. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two- edged sword says this: 12 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Περγάμῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὴν ῥομφαίαν τὴν δίστομον τὴν ὀξεῖαν· a. The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: i. This is the language of judgment. ii. The imagery of a sword intends to communicate the veracity of Jesus’ words and His authority to judge His people. iii. Aune indicates that “after 27 B.C., Asia was a senatorial province of Rome. The Roman senate selected an ex-consul annually by lot and sent him to Asia as proconsul, accompanied by three legates (legati pro praetore) and a quaestor. Procurators were occupied with the interests of the emperor. After Vespasian, the primary procurator had procurators in different regions of the province as subordinates. For judicial purposes, the province was divided into nine provinces. On fixed days the governor would stop in larger cities for the purpose of administering justice and there convene the conventus jurisdicus, ‘juridical gathering’; see Kornemann, RE 4:1173. b. Other 2. 13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 13 Οἶδα ποῦ κατοικεῖς, ὅπου ὁ θρόνος τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καὶ κρατεῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσω τὴν πίστιν μου καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἀντιπᾶς, ὁ μάρτυς μου, ὁ πιστός μου, ὃς ἀπεκτάνθη παρ’ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ Σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ. a. ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; i. Possible interpretations of “Satan’s throne” (θρόνος τοῦ Σατανᾶ): 1. The emperor cult (Hemer). 2. The temple of Augustus and Roma also know as the ‘Sebastian.’” (Zahn, 1:249; Hemer, Letters, 87).299 3. The Great Altar of Zeus Soter.

298 Source: https ://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias2B.html 299 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 181. 80

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 4. The Judge’s bench or tribunal where the proconsul sat to judge could be referred to here as the throne of Satan. 5. The temple of Asklepios (the serpant god of healing).300 6. Pergamum as a center of Christian persecution. 7. Pergamum as a major center of the imperial cult (Bousett, [1906] 211-12). 8. Pergamum as an important center for Greco-Roman religion generally. 9. The shape of hill on which the city was built. ii. Conclusion: the language of θρόνος τοῦ Σατανᾶ best fits the following: 1. The judge’s bench (bema) and Pergamum as the center of Christian persecution (Aune).301 2. The Emperor cult “as enforced from Pergamum at a time of critical confrontation for the church. The claims of Caesar are viewed by John as a Satanic parody of those of Christ” (Hemer).302 “Because Satan was the underlying force in Rome’s hostility to the church, Pergamum could be described as his throne.”303 3. Pergamum “as a center of Roman government and pagan religion in the Asia Minor region. It was the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple to the Roman rule (Augustus) and the capital of the whole area for the cult of the emperor. The city proudly referred to itself as the ‘temple warden’ of a temple dedicated to Caesar worship.”304 iii. Other b. and you hold fast My name, c. and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, d. My witness, e. My faithful one, f. who was killed among you, g. where Satan dwells. 3. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 14 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὀλίγα, ὅτι ἔχεις ἐκεῖ κρατοῦντας τὴν διδαχὴν Βαλαάμ, ὃς ἐδίδασκεν τῷ Βαλὰκ βαλεῖν σκάνδαλον ἐνώπιον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα καὶ πορνεῦσαι· a. 14 But I have a few things against you, b. because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, c. who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, d. to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 4. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 15 οὕτως ἔχεις καὶ σὺ κρατοῦντας τὴν διδαχὴν Νικολαϊτῶν ὁμοίως. a. 15 So you also have some who in the same way

300 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 246. 301 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 184. 302 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 87. 303 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 267. 304 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 246. 81

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. i. Witherington, citing G. R. Beasley-Murray, posits, “the Nicolaitans may have been high-status Christians who believed a certain amount of compromise with the dominant culture was all right.”305 It is possible the Nicolaitans rationalized that “Even the Romans don’t really believe the Emperor is a god, so why not just go along, and have a good living as a member of the guild.”306 So de Silva who argues, “When John attacks the Nicolaitans as ‘disciples of Balaam,’ highlighting ‘eating food sacrificed to idols,’ the main issue appears to be whether or not Christians can participate in the religious life of the Greco-Roman society. There are obvious advantages for doing so. It eliminates all the tension between the church and society if Christians can again go out in public and show themselves pious and reliable through the participation in the cults and traditional gods and emperors. It keeps important economic channels open through membership in the trade guilds.”307 ii. David de Silva considers the Nicolaitan’s to be prophets of compromise and even like false apostles [cf., the prophetess Jezebel at 2:20]. He indicates the Nicolaitan’s are “followers of Balaam…[John understands them to be] a uniform group advocating a more tolerant and accommodating stance toward the non-Christian society and its expectations.”308 iii. Morris, citing Barclay, posits, “The false teachers claimed ‘not that they were destroying Christianity, but that they were presenting an improved and modernized version of it’ (Barclay).”309 iv. The extent of the damage the Nicolaitans caused in the churches of Asia Minor is unknown.310 Mounce indicates, “This heretical group is mentioned both here and in the letter to Pergamum (2:15). The mention of eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality [or idolatry] in the letter to Thyatira (2:20-21) as well as in the letter to Pergamum (2:14, where this is connected with the teaching of Balaam and closely related to the teaching of the Nicolaitans) indicates that all three of the churches were in some way affected by the sect.”311 v. Fiorenza summarizes as follows: “The Nicolaitans are according to Revelation a Christian group within the churches of Asia Minor and have their adherents even among the itinerant missionaries and prophetic teachers of the community. They claim to have insight into the divine or, more probably, into the demonic. They express their freedom in libertine

305 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 103, Beasley-Murray, G. B. The Book of Revelation (London: Oliphant, 1974), p. 92-94. 306 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 103. Italics mine. 307 de Silva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 904. 308 de Silva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 903-04. 309 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 62. 310 Witherington III, Ben. The Indelible Image: The Theological and Ethical Thought World of the New Testament. Volume One: The Individual Witnesses (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009), p. 759. 311 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 71. 82

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 behavior, which allows them to become part of their syncretistic pagan society and the participate in the Roman civil religion.”312 vi. 5. 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 16 μετανόησον οὖν· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι ταχύ, καὶ πολεμήσω μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ στόματός μου. a. 16 Therefore repent; b. or else I am coming to you quickly, c. and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 6. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’ 17 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. τῷ νικῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ τοῦ μάννα τοῦ κεκρυμμένου, καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ ψῆφον λευκήν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ψῆφον ὄνομα καινὸν γεγραμμένον ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ ὁ λαμβάνων. a. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. b. To him who overcomes, i. Overcomes (νικῶντι present active participle of νικάω) c. to him I will give some of the hidden manna, d. and I will give him a white stone, i. What is the meaning of the white stone imagery? According to Mark Wilson, the following should be considered:313 1. A token of admission or voting piece. Witherington notes, white pebbles where “used in antiquity for admission to some feasts or to the one used to vote acquittal in a trial.”314 Craig Keener indicates, “Perhaps the most significant allusion is a reference to some ancient courtroom, where jurors voted for acquittal with a white stone and for conviction with a black one. Here a capital case is probably in view (2:13), and Jesus will overturn the verdict of the Pergamum Christians’ persecutors at the final judgment when he declares both life and the second death (2:13; 20:13-14; cf. Acts 7:56-60).”315 2. According to a “Thracian custom of marking every good day by a white stone.”316 3. White stones were issued to the poor to “insure a regular supply of corn” would be given to them.317 4. Symbol of victory (given to the victor at games and to the gladiators who had won the admiration of the public and had been allowed to retire from further combat.”318

312 Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul." Journal of Biblical Literature 92, no. 4 (1973): 565-81. doi:10.2307/3263124. 313 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 268. 314 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 103-04. 315 Keener, Craig. The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 126. 316 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 82. 317 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 83. 318 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 83. 83

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. A Christian amulet (jewelry with religious significance), to “ward off evil.”319 6. White stones were also the writing surface for official edicts. One such relevant decree was issued in 9 B.C. by Paulus Fabius Maximus, the governor of Asia. This edict, confirmed by the provincial league, decreed that Augustus’s birthday should be made an official holiday in Asia as well as to mark the beginning of the municipal new year. It was inscribed in Latin and Greek on a white stone and set up in the imperial cult temple in Pergamum. “The decree was apparently distributed throughout the province because copies have been found in five Asian cities.”320 ii. Other e. and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’ i. Witherington states, “We should perhaps see these stones as an engraved invitation to the messianic banquet. The new name implies a new identity and being someone special in the kingdom.”321 7. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. 12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two- edged sword says this: 2. 13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 3. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 4. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 5. 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. a. Those who “hold to the teaching of Balaam” are Christians of compromise. b. Those who “kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.” c. Those who “hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” 6. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

319 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 82. 320 As cited by Mark Wilson, see “The text of this decree, OGIS 458, is published in A. C. Johnson, P. R. Coleman- Norton, and C. F. Bourne, Ancient Roman Statutes (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1961), §142. 321 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 104. 84

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

18 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Θυατείροις ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ ἔχων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ὡς φλόγα πυρός, καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ·

19 Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν διακονίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου τὰ ἔσχατα πλείονα τῶν πρώτων. 20 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι ἀφεῖς τὴν γυναῖκα Ἰεζάβελ, ἡ λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ τοὺς ἐμοὺς δούλους πορνεῦσαι καὶ φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα. 21 καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ χρόνον ἵνα μετανοήσῃ, καὶ οὐ θέλει μετανοῆσαι ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς. 22 ἰδοὺ βάλλω αὐτὴν εἰς κλίνην, καὶ τοὺς μοιχεύοντας μετ’ αὐτῆς εἰς θλῖψιν μεγάλην, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσωσιν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῆς· 23 καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ἀποκτενῶ ἐν θανάτῳ· καὶ γνώσονται πᾶσαι αἱ ἐκκλησίαι ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐραυνῶν νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίας, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. 24 ὑμῖν δὲ λέγω τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἐν Θυατείροις, ὅσοι οὐκ ἔχουσιν τὴν διδαχὴν ταύτην, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰ βαθέα τοῦ Σατανᾶ, ὡς λέγουσιν, οὐ βάλλω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἄλλο βάρος· 25 πλὴν ὃ ἔχετε κρατήσατε ἄχρι οὗ ἂν ἥξω. 26 καὶ ὁ νικῶν καὶ ὁ τηρῶν ἄχρι τέλους τὰ ἔργα μου, δώσω αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, 27 καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ὡς τὰ σκεύη τὰ κεραμικὰ συντρίβεται, 28 ὡς κἀγὼ εἴληφα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ τὸν ἀστέρα τὸν πρωϊνόν. 29 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις.

INTRODUCTION 1. According to Acts 16, Lydia was from Thyatira, see Acts 16:14-15, “14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.”

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. According to Hemer, “the longest and most difficult of the seven letters is addressed to the least known, least important and least remarkable of the cities.”322 Thyatira “is very rarely mentioned in ancient literature, and its site is cover by the modern town of Akhisar.”323 3. Because of its natural geography, “most of the scattered literary references to its early fortunes represent it as the victim of a conquering army.”324 The city was easily plundered. 4. During the era of Roman peace (pax Romana), its “position at the confluence of easy routes then made it an ideal manufacturing and marketing centre. Its coinage, which had ceased after the cistophori,325 was resumed under Augustus (BMC Lydia, p. cxxi). The increasing abundance of later inscriptions suggests Thyatira, still of limited importance at the time of Revelation, reached a peak of prosperity in the second and third centuries (cf., SC, pp. 323-24). The words of Revelation 2:19 were address to a growing church in a growing city.”326 5. Thyatira had an unusually great number of trade-guilds.327 For example: a. Clothiers. Evidence of the construction of a triple gate, colonnades, and workmen’s houses, commemorating the clothier guild (CIG 3480 = IGRR IV. 1209).328 b. Dyers. The “city was particularly noted for its local purple dye derived from the madder root.”329 c. Bakers. d. Tanners.

322 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 106. 323 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 106. 324 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 107. 325 “The cistophori of Thyatira, Apollonis and Stratoniceia, three small Lydian cities, posed an apparently insurmountable problem to numismatists for many years. These rare coins all bear dates commemorating the second through fourth regnal years of a BA(ΣIΛEΩΣ) EY(MENOY), who was universally assumed to be Eumenes II of Pergamum (197-159 B.C.). Cistophori of two of these cities (Thyatira and Apollonis) were known to Pinder, and included without commentary in his enumeration of cistophoric variants (nos. 136 and 137). Imhoof was the first to discuss the series and point out the problems involved in interpreting the numismatic evidence. Despite the absence of die linkage, Imhoof was convinced that the similarity in format and style of the few specimens known to him was sufficient grounds for attributing all three variants to a single mint. Thyatira was chosen for only on its pieces was θYA located in the position normally occupied by the ethnic; AΠOΛ and ΣTPA, which were placed below the bow- case, were regarded as abbreviated magistrates' names (Imhoof, AbhBerlni 1884, pp. 28ff. A cistophorus of Thyatira was first published by Borell, NC 1845, p. 13). A similar assumption had been made by both Pinder and Bunbury (Pinder, p. 565; Bunbury, NC 1883, p. 195f. See Imhoof, AbhMnchen 1890, p. 773f). Since Thyatira did not become an Attalid possession until 189 B.C. when Eumenes "invaded the territory around Thyatira” (Livy 37.8), the dates on the cistophori must have been reckoned from the enlargement of the Pergamene kingdom after the Peace of Apameia. Imhoof later modified this thesis and accepted AΠOΛ and ΣTPA as referring to Apollonis and Stratoniceia, but the admission of three cities only seemed to reinforce his dating, for Stratoniceia was named after Stratonice, a Cappadocian princess whom Eumenes II did not marry until 188 B.C.” Source: http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan30795 326 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 107. 327 Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul." Journal of Biblical Literature 92, no. 4 (1973): 565-81. doi:10.2307/3263124. See Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 201. 328 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 108. 329 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 268. 86

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 e. Potters. f. Wool merchants. g. Slaver traders. h. Shoe makers. i. Cooper smiths. j. Bronze smiths (see Revelation 2:18 and the term (χαλκολίβανον). k. Gymnasia/athletic guild. 6. The guilds featured: a. Their religious basis. “The god Apollo Tyrimnaeus (sun god) was a known as a patron of the guilds, and feasts were essentially religious occasions, which took place in the temple (cf., SC, p. 146).”330 b. Their apparent localization. The layout of the city was organized around trade guilds.331 c. Their persistence. Culturally, associations with the guilds ensured acceptance and placement in society. To resist the guilds was to resist the gods. To resist the gods was to resist the city. 7. Thyatira’s “one religious claim to fame was the shrine of an Oriental sibyl called the Sambathe. Many people came to that shrine.” to consult the oracle. 332 8. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 18 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Θυατείροις ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ ἔχων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ὡς φλόγα πυρός, καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ· a. The Son of God, i. Certainly a Jewish understanding of the phase “Son of God” is to be drawn from Psalm 2:7, “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”333 ii. According to Aune, “‘the Son of God,’ occurs forty-six times in the New Testament (and only here in Revelation), but this is the only instance in the New Testament in which ‘the Son of God’ is the subject of a transitive verb of speaking. In the New Testament the title is used of the exalted Jesus (as here) in just a few passages: Acts 13:38; Romans 1:3; Col 1:13; 1 Thess 1:9-10; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5.”334 iii. “Roman emperors characteristically claims in their titulature introducing official letters and decrees that they were ‘sons of god’ in the special sense that they were sons or adopted sons of their deified predecessors. A letter from Augustus to Ephesus begins this way: ‘Emperor Caesar, son of the god

330 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 108-09. 331 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 109. 332 Myers, Edward P. The Letters to the Seven Churches. Source: http://www.biblecourses.com/English/en_lessons/EN_198912_08.pdf 333 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 268. 334 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 201. 87

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Julius (J. Reynolds, Aphrodisias and Rome [London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 1982] document 12, line 1, p. 101.”335 iv. Mounce argues, the language of “Son of God” “stands in strong contrast to the local culture worship of Apollo Tyrimnos, which was merged with that of the emperor (identified as Apollo incarnate) so that both were acclaimed as sons of Zeus. Thus it is not the emperor nor the guardian deity of Thyatira, but the resurrected Christ, who is the true son of God.”336 b. Who has eyes like a flame of fire, i. Wilson suggests, “eyes like a flame of fire” is “apparently a polemic against the local deity Helius Pythius Tyrimnaeus Apollo, who has primarily a sun god syncretized from Lydian, Macedonian, and Greek deities.”337 ii. See also Daniel 10:6. c. and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: i. This language conveys “the idea of strength and slendor.”338 ii. See trade guilds. 2. 19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 19 Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν διακονίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου τὰ ἔσχατα πλείονα τῶν πρώτων. a. ‘I know your deeds, i. I know (Οἶδά perfect active indicative of οἶδα). ii. b. and your love and faith and service and perseverance, i. Love and faith may communicate motive and heart. ii. Service and perseverance reveal are the results that follow.339 c. and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. i. 3. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 20 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι ἀφεῖς τὴν γυναῖκα Ἰεζάβελ, ἡ λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ τοὺς ἐμοὺς δούλους πορνεῦσαι καὶ φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα. a. 20 But I have this against you, b. that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, i. Who is the woman named Jezebel? Regarding the possible identifications for Jezebel, several proposals have been presented. 1. Jezebel is a symbolic figure.340 1. In view of the literary genre of Revelation and its obvious use of symbolism, we should not rule out this possibility. 2. Citing Schürer, Mounce indicates Jezebel may be Sibyl Sambathe, “whose sanctuary was outside the walls of the

335 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 201-02. 336 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 85. 337 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 269. 338 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 85. 339 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 86. 340 Schürer, Von Emil Die Prophetin Isabel in Thyatira, Offenb. Joh 2:20, Theologische Abhandlungen (Freiberg I. B.: J. B. C. Mohr, 1892), p. 40. 88

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 city and apparently in existence at the time of Revelation.”341 Mounce posits this view is untenable since religious syncretism would have scarcely “infected the church to the point that a Sibylline priestess could also function so effectively with in the church itself.”342 2. Jezebel as a real historical woman. 1. It is oddly conjected that Lydia, the seller of purple (Acts 16:14-16) is identified as Jezebel, although there is “no substantial reason why we should identify the two.”343 2. Beale argues the possibility that the Jezebel reference may be directed toward only “one individual false teacher, who could be a woman.”344 Cf., 2 John 1 and related arguments. 3. Aune states, Jezebel was possibly a patroness or hostess of one of the house churches that made up the Christian community at Thyatira who found herself in conflict with other Christian patrons, probably over an attempt to accommodate Christian practices to the surrounding culture by justifying the eating of meat offered to idols.”345 So von Harnack who argues this is a real historical women who is a prophetess with the Nicolaitan group.346 4. Comporting with George E. Ladd, who identifies Jezebel as a female leader in the church,347 Robert Mounce argues Jezebel is a real woman, “probably some prominent woman within the church who, like her OT counterpart, was influencing the people of God to forsake loyalty to God by promoting a tolerance toward and involvement in pagan practices. This extended to sexual immorality and participation in the religious feasts connected with membership in trade guilds.”348 Witherington states, Jezebel is a woman leading [the church at Thyatira] astray into idolatry and immorality, just like the ancient queen of Israel (see 1 Kings 18-19; 2 Kings 9:22).”349 5. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza associates this female prophetess with the Nicolaitans who were an integral part of the churches in Thyatira and Pergamum.350 It is possible the

341 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 87, cf., Von Emil Schürer Die Prophetin Isabel in Thyatira, Offenb. Joh 2:20, Theologische Abhandlungen (Freiberg I. B.: J. B. C. Mohr, 1892), 39- 40. 342 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 87. 343 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 86-87. 344 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 260. 345 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 203. 346 Von Harnack, Adolf. "The Sect of the Nicolaitans and Nicolaus, the Deacon in Jerusalem." The Journal of Religion 3, no. 4 (1923): 413-22. www.jstor.org/stable/1195080. 347 Ladd, George Eldon. A Commentary of the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 51. 348 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 87. 349 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 104. 350 Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), p. 116. 89

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 author of Revelation is shaming the pastor of the church at Thyatira by personifying him as a woman and giving him the name of Jezebel. This certainly is a possibility, but nonetheless, highly unlikely. Rather, I agree with Fiorenza, “Since in the message to Thyatira the prophetess Jezebel, who teaches within the community (2:20), is accused of teaching the same vices, viz., eating meat offered to idols and practicing fornication, it is generally assumed that she and her followers belong to the same group as the Nicolaitans.”351 6. Mounce suggests Jezebel is “probably some prominent woman within the church who, like her OT counterpart, was influencing the people of God to forsake loyalty to God by promoting tolerance toward and involvement in pagan practices.”352 7. Bauckham argues Jezebel was a rival of John, “the Thyatiron prophetess whom he considers a false prophet.”353 ii. Conclusion: It is historically plausible that Jezebel is a woman in significant leadership in the church(es) in Thyatira. Her leadership included teaching,354 prophesying and possibly patronage. If this is the case, this represents one of the most compelling examples of a female in significant pastoral-prophetic leadership in the New Testament. Duane F. Watson identifies the woman Jezebel as a real woman who was a “Nicolaitan prophetess.”355 Beale indicates that it is possible, “However, the reference to ‘the woman’ and ‘her children’ (2:23) evokes the phrase ‘to the lady and her children’ in 2 John 1, which in its context refers respectively to the community as a whole and to the individuals who compose the community.”356 c. and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray i. Mounce argues, “In a city whose economic life was dominated by trade guilds I which pagan religious practices had become the criteria for membership, Christian converts would be faced with the problem of compromising their stand at least enough to allow participation in a common meal dedicated to some pagan deity. To reject this accommodation could mean social isolation and economic hardship.”357 d. so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. i. Mounce indicates, “With her Nicolaitan orientation the prophetess could suggest that since ‘an idol is nothing at all’ (1 Corinthians 8:4), believers

351 Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation and Paul." Journal of Biblical Literature 92, no. 4 (1973): 565-81. doi:10.2307/3263124. 352 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 87. 353 Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), p. 3. Kindle Edition. 354 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 260. 355 Watson, Duane F. “Nicholaitans” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol 4 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), p. 1106. 356 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 260-61. 357 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 86. 90

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 need not undergo the privation that would follow from an unwillingness to go along with the simple requirements of the trade guilds.”358 ii. See the following texts that may be misunderstood and applied incorrectly the believers at Thyatira: 1. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, “9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so- called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” 2. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, “4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” iii. Mounce indicates since “the eating of ‘food sacrificed to idols’ is undoubtedly intended in a literal sense, it is best to take ‘sexual immorality’ in the same way. Pagan feasts often led to sexual promiscuity.”359 4. 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 21 καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ χρόνον ἵνα μετανοήσῃ, καὶ οὐ θέλει μετανοῆσαι ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς. a. I gave her time to repent b. and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 5. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 22 ἰδοὺ βάλλω αὐτὴν εἰς κλίνην, καὶ τοὺς μοιχεύοντας μετ’ αὐτῆς εἰς θλῖψιν μεγάλην, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσωσιν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῆς· a. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, i. See 1 Corinthians 11: 27-32, “27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” ii.

358 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 86. 359 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 87. 91

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, c. unless they repent of her deeds. 6. 23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 7. 23 καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ἀποκτενῶ ἐν θανάτῳ· καὶ γνώσονται πᾶσαι αἱ ἐκκλησίαι ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐραυνῶν νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίας, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. a. And I will kill her children with pestilence, b. and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; i. Searches the minds and hearts. 1. Searches (ἐραυνῶν present active participle of ἐραυνάω) 2. See Matthew 9:4, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?” 3. Matthew 12:25, “And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” 4. Hebrews 4:11-13, “11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” c. and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. i. The concept of righteous judgment on the consequences of actions and beliefs on earth is a dominant theological construct of Revelation. 8. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 24 ὑμῖν δὲ λέγω τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἐν Θυατείροις, ὅσοι οὐκ ἔχουσιν τὴν διδαχὴν ταύτην, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰ βαθέα τοῦ Σατανᾶ, ὡς λέγουσιν, οὐ βάλλω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἄλλο βάρος· a. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, b. who do not hold this teaching, c. who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them— i. This slogan is sarcastic in nature. In other words, certain “people are ‘claiming to know the deep secrets of God’ but they are actually the deep secrets of Satan.”360 Or possibly, according to Mounce, “to appreciate fully the grace of God one must first plumb the depths of evil.”361 “Later Gnosticism boasted that it was precisely by entering into the stronghold of Satan that a believer could learn the limits of his power and emerge victorious.”362

360 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 89. 361 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 89. 362 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 89. 92

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. According to Witherington, Satan worship or necromancy is not in view here.363 d. I place no other burden on you. 9. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 25 ὃ ἔχετε κρατήσατε ἄχρι οὗ ἂν ἥξω. a. Nevertheless what you have, b. hold fast until I come. 10. 26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 26 καὶ ὁ νικῶν καὶ ὁ τηρῶν ἄχρι τέλους τὰ ἔργα μου, δώσω αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, a. He who overcomes, b. and he who keeps My deeds until the end, c. to him I will give authority over the nations; 11. 27a and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, 27 καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ὡς τὰ σκεύη τὰ κεραμικὰ συντρίβεται, a. and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, b. as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, c. as I also have received authority from My Father; 12. 27b as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 28 ὡς κἀγὼ εἴληφα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ τὸν ἀστέρα τὸν πρωϊνόν. and I will give him a. I also have received authority from My Father; i. John 5:26-28, “26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ii. John 10:18, “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” iii. John 15:15, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” iv. John 17:1-5, “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” b. and I will give him the morning star. i. Morning star possibly refers to:364 1. In “antiquity, the planet Venus was linked to the morning star.

363 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 105. 364 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 270. 93

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. From Babylonian times, it was a symbol of rule, the “the star of Ishtar” heralding a new day.365 3. The Messianic authority and reign of Christ, see Numbers 24:17, “A star will come out of Jacob.” 4. 2 Peter 1:19, “… the morning star rises in your hearts.” 5. The Roman legions carried Venus’s zodiac sign, the bull, on their standards.. 6. The messianic leader of the Jewish revolt in A.D. 132, was given the name Bar Kokhba, which is translated “son of the star.” ii. Other 13. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ 29 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. a. He who has an ear, b. let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

NOUTHETICS 1. 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 2. 19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 3. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 4. 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 5. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 6. 23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 7. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 8. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 9. 26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 10. 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 11. 28 and I will give him the morning star. 12. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

365 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 212. 94

1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this:

‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

1 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας·

Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ. 2 γίνου γρηγορῶν, καὶ στήρισον τὰ λοιπὰ ἃ ἔμελλον ἀποθανεῖν, οὐ γὰρ εὕρηκά σου τὰ ἔργα πεπληρωμένα ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ μου· 3 μνημόνευε οὖν πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας καὶ τήρει, καὶ μετανόησον· ἐὰν οὖν μὴ γρηγορήσῃς, ἥξω ὡς κλέπτης, καὶ οὐ μὴ γνῷς ποίαν ὥραν ἥξω ἐπὶ σέ· 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχεις ὀλίγα ὀνόματα ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἃ οὐκ ἐμόλυναν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ περιπατήσουσιν μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἐν λευκοῖς, ὅτι ἄξιοί εἰσιν. 5 ὁ νικῶν οὕτως περιβαλεῖται ἐν ἱματίοις λευκοῖς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξαλείψω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς βίβλου τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ὁμολογήσω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ. 6 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις.

INTRODUCTION 1. According to Aune, “Sardis, one of the most illustrious cities of ancient Anatolia and a major rival of such cities as Smyrna and Ephesus, was located forty miles southeast of Thyatira and forty-five miles east of Smyrna.”366 2. The city was famous for being so well protected it was impenetrable.367 3. “The wealth of the legendary King Croesus (c. 560-547 B.C.) came from the gold found in the Pactolus River, which flowed through the city.”368 4. Regarding pagan culture, a temple to Zeus was built by Alexander. According to Hemer, “the most frequent male deities on the coinage are Zeus, Lydios, portrayed with eagle and sceptre, Heracles and Dionysus.”369 Aune notes a temple to Augustus was built in Sardis.370

366 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 218. 367 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 218. 368 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 271. 369 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 138. 370 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 218. 95

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. Hemer argues, based on the work of Hanfmann, the people of Sardis were preoccupied with the “problems of death and immortality.”371 6. Dr. G. M. A. Hanfmann discovered a “Minotaur relief found at Sardis [as] a Hellenized adaptation of the taurabolium, a rite by which the worshipper, originally a king, was rejuvenated with the life-force of a bull slain over him and in whose blood he bathed.”372 a. See related texts: i. Christian baptism. ii. Forgiveness found in the blood of Jesus. 7. The population was about 60,000 and 100,000 people.373 8. It is most notable that Tacitus reports an earthquake that affected the city in 17 CE: “That same year twelve famous cities of Asia fell by an earthquake in the night, so that the destruction was all the more unforeseen and fearful. Nor were there the means of escape usual in, such a disaster, by rushing out into the open country, for there people were swallowed up by the yawning earth. Vast mountains, it is said, collapsed; what had been level ground seemed to be raised aloft, and fires blazed out amid the ruin. The calamity fell most fatally on the inhabitants of Sardis, and it attracted to them the largest share of sympathy.” (Tacitus, 2.47).374 “Pliny describes it as the greatest disaster in human memory (NH 2.86.200).”375 9. A very large and wealthy Jewish synagogue was discovered at Sardis.376 10. Borrowing from Keener, Witherington posits that Jesus is summoning the sleepy church at Sardis to wake up.377 The phrase wake up is not accurate and better translated to be watchful. 11. The letter to the church at Sardis is the most negative of the seven.378

EXEGESIS 1. 1a “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας· a. “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: b. He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, i. Aune argues that the “seven Spirits of God” is an epexegetical comment on the seven stars.”379 ii. See Rev 1:20, “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

371 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 139. 372 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 139. 373 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 218. 374 https://www.ancient.eu/sardis/ 375 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 134. 376 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 218. 377 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 105. 378 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 105. 379 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 219. 96

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. 1b ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ. a. 1b ‘I know your deeds, i. I know Οἶδά perfect active indicative of οἶδα b. that you have a name that you are alive, c. but you are dead. καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ. i. John used the verb to be here, εἶ present active indicative of εἰμί. 3. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 2 γίνου γρηγορῶν, καὶ στήρισον τὰ λοιπὰ ἃ ἔμελλον ἀποθανεῖν, οὐ γὰρ εὕρηκά σου τὰ ἔργα πεπληρωμένα ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ μου· a. Wake up, or better translated, “be watchful”; γίνου – (be) present middle imperative and γρηγορῶν – present active participle nominative. The church at Sardis was not totally and completely dead spiritually. i. Mounce notes there are “five imperatives in vv 2-3.380 1. Vs 2 Be watchful (γίνου – present middle imperative) – be 2. Vs 2 Strengthen (στήρισον aorist, active, imperative of στηρίζω) 3. Vs 3 Remember (present active imperative) 4. Vs 3 Keep it (present active imperative) 5. Vs 3 Repent (aorist active imperative of μετανοέω). b. The language of watchfulness is significant according to the history of the city. i. The city was considered proverbially impossible to conquer with its sheer cliffs shielding the city.381 “The surviving accounts give different rationalizations of the extraordinary physical difficulty of the achievement, but agree in postulating a lack of vigilance in the defenders”382 of the city. ii. “Croesus consulted an oracle at Delphi and about his course of action regarding Cyrus and the Persians, who threatened from the east. The oracle counseled that Croesus would destroy a great empire if he crossed the Halys River in to Persian territory. Thinking that the destruction of Cyrus’s empire was prophesied, Croesus attacked. After an inclusive campaign, Croesus retreated to Sardis where upon Cyrus launched a surprise attack.”383 According to “Herodotus, the city ultimately fell by the agency of a Persian soldier, who climbed up a section of the walls which was neither adequately garrisoned, nor protected by the ancient rites which had dedicated the rest of the cities' defenses to impregnability; the steepness of the adjoining ground outside the walls was responsible for this piece of Lydian Hubris. Hyroeades, the Persian soldier, saw a Lydian soldier climbing down the walls to retrieve a dropped helmet, and tried to follow the example. The success of his ascent set the example to the rest of Cyrus' soldiers and these

380 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 93. 381 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 133. 382 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 133. 383 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 271. 97

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 swarming over the exposed wall, the city was promptly taken”384 in just fourteen days. iii. “When Cyrus II, King of Persia, invaded Sardis in 547 BCE, it became obvious that the lack of a defensive wall protecting the lower city was not a wise choice. The Lydian king Croesus simply retreated to the upper town, and the Persian army controlled the lower city with very little resistance. The Persian army finally found an unguarded spot in the citadel’s defenses, and Sardis came under Persian control for the next two centuries.”385 iv. The city was surprise attacked yet again in 499 B.C. when the “Ionians audaciously raided and burnt the lower city” (Herodotus 5.100).386 v. When Alexander the Great (b. 356 and d. 323 BC), approached the city, the Sardians hastened out to surrender their city without resistance (Arr. Anab.1.17.3; cf., 3:16.5).”387 4. 3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 3 μνημόνευε οὖν πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας καὶ τήρει, καὶ μετανόησον· ἐὰν οὖν μὴ γρηγορήσῃς, ἥξω ὡς κλέπτης, καὶ οὐ μὴ γνῷς ποίαν ὥραν ἥξω ἐπὶ σέ· a. According to Mounce, “Although the majority of the church had become thoroughly secularized, there were a few people who had not soiled their clothes.”388 b. So remember what you have received and heard; i. Imperative c. and keep it, i. Imperative d. and repent. i. Imperative e. Therefore if you do not wake up, i. Again, γρηγορήσῃς (γρηγορέω) is best translated as be watchful or watching. f. I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. i. See the following texts as source information for John:389 1. Luke 12:39-40; “39 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” 2. 1 Thess 5:2-8; “2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day

384 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sardis_(547_BC)#cite_ref-9 385 https://www.ancient.eu/sardis/ 386 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 133. 387 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 133. 388 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 95. 389 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 105. 98

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” 3. 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” 5. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχεις ὀλίγα ὀνόματα ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἃ οὐκ ἐμόλυναν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ περιπατήσουσιν μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἐν λευκοῖς, ὅτι ἄξιοί εἰσιν. a. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; i. The idea of a soiled garment is significant. “The soiled garment in a city famous for its dyed garments and fancy clothing products would be antithetical to civic pride.”390 ii. According to Witherington, “In Asia Minor a soiled garment often prohibited a person from participating in an act of worship.”391 b. and they will walk with Me in white, i. “White garments are mentioned seven times in this book as a symbol of purity and holiness. In a city of garment workers, this promise was especially meaningful.”392 ii. Mounce argues this is a reference to those who have been justified.393 Also, see Talbert on the white garments in relation to wedding garments that allow admission to the feast.”394 c. for they are worthy. 6. 5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 5 ὁ νικῶν οὕτως περιβαλεῖται ἐν ἱματίοις λευκοῖς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξαλείψω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς βίβλου τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ὁμολογήσω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ. a. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; b. and I will not erase his name from the book of life, i. Witherington acknowledges that “The image suggests it is possible to be in such a book and then to be blotted out of it because of unacceptable beliefs and practices.”395 ii. Wilson indicates, “Greek cities in the ancient world maintained a list of citizens in a public register. When someone committed a criminal action and was condemned, he lost his citizenship and his name as then erased

390 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 391 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 392 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 393 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 95. 394 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 95. 395 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 99

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 from the register. Those who overcome are promised that they will never lose their citizenship in the heavenly city.”396 Hemer indicates, “The idea of a citizen-register was equally familiar in the Greek world. There are numerous epigraphic references to the registrars and record-officers of the cities of Asia Minor, though their titles vary widely. Sardis itself, as the western capital of the Persian and Seleucid empires, housed the royal archives relating to an extensive area.”397 “Of special interest here is the regular Athenian practice of deleting the names of condemned person before their execution.”398 iii. According to Exodus 32:30-32, “30 On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. 32 But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” c. and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. i. “The victor will be acknowledged in the highest throne room of all, namely before God and his angelic entourage.”399 ii. See the following as source information for John: 1. Matthew 10:32-33, “32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” 2. Luke 9:26, “6 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” 3. Luke 12:8-9, “8 And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” 7. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ 6 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. a. Let him hear (ἀκουσάτω aorist active imperative of ἀκούω). 8. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. 1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

396 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 272-73. 397 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 148. 398 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 148. 399 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 100

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3. 3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5. 5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

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7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

7 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Φιλαδελφείᾳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον·

Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἅγιος, ὁ ἀληθινός, ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖν Δαυίδ, ὁ ἀνοίγων καὶ οὐδεὶς κλείσει, καὶ κλείων καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνοίγει·

8 Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα— ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ἐνώπιόν σου θύραν ἠνεῳγμένην, ἣν οὐδεὶς δύναται κλεῖσαι αὐτήν— ὅτι μικρὰν ἔχεις δύναμιν, καὶ ἐτήρησάς μου τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσω τὸ ὄνομά μου. 9 ἰδοὺ διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ, τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι, καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀλλὰ ψεύδονται— ἰδοὺ ποιήσω αὐτοὺς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σου, καὶ γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγὼ ἠγάπησά σε. 10 ὅτι ἐτήρησας τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου, κἀγώ σε τηρήσω ἐκ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τῆς μελλούσης ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅλης, πειράσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 11 ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ὃ ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου. 12 ὁ νικῶν ποιήσω αὐτὸν στῦλον ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μου, καὶ ἔξω οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃ ἔτι, καὶ γράψω ἐπ’ αὐτὸν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ μου καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως τοῦ θεοῦ μου, τῆς καινῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἡ καταβαίνουσα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ μου, καὶ τὸ ὄνομά μου τὸ καινόν. 13 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις.

INTRODUCTION 1. Philadelphia is now modern Alashehir.400 The city is most certainly named to commemorate the loyalty and devotion of Attalus II to his brother (this is what earned him the epithet Philadelphus, ‘lover of his brother’).” According to tradition, “A false rumor of Eumenes’s (the brother of Attalus II), assassination led Attalus II to accept the crown, which he then relinquished when his brother returned from Greece. Furthermore, Attalus’s resistance to Roman encouragement to overthrow his brother and become king,” resulting in the famous title given to Attalus as the one who loved his brother.401

400 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 98. 401 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 98 102

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Philadelphia was one of twelve cities that was leveled by the great earthquake of AD 17.402 3. The emperor Tiberius “exempted Philadelphia from tribute for five years and sent a senatorial commission to inspect the damage and administer aid (Tacitus Annals 2.47).”403 4. The “city became ‘Philadelphia Flavia’ under the Flavian emperor Vespasian (AD 69-79), and it was honored with the title Neokoros, ‘temple warden’ [for the imperial cult].”404 5. Mounce indicates “Philadelphia was strategically located at the juncture of trade routes leading to Mysia, Lyida, and Phrygia (the imperial post route from Rome via Troas passed through Philadelphia and continued eastward to the high central plateau) had helped it earn the title ‘gateway to the East’ and made it a city of commercial importance.”405 6. The city of Philadelphia was famous for its wine production based on the climate and volcanic soil. The city naturally became the center for the worship of Dionysus (the god of wine) as its chief pagan cult.406 Bacchus is another Greek name for the god Dionysus, the name adopted by the Romans.407 Henrichs notes that worship of the god Dionysus was characterized by madness, ecstasy, and mania,408 or in other words, being drunk. At times an animal may be killed during a frenzied worship event and the flesh eaten raw.409 7. In the fifth century A.D., it was called ‘little Athens’ because of its remarkable temples and religious festivals.410 8. Aune notes “Eusebius briefly mentions Ammia of Philadelphia, a prophetess active probably during the first half of the second century A.D., whom the female Montanist prophetesses claimed as a predecessor (Hist. Ecc. 5.17.3-4).411

402 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 234. 403 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 234. See: “47 1 In the same year, twelve important cities of Asia collapsed in an earthquake, the time being night, so that the havoc was the less foreseen and the more devastating. Even the usual resource in these catastrophes, a rush to open ground, was unavailing, as the fugitives were swallowed up in yawning chasms. Accounts are given of huge mountains sinking, of former plains seen heaved aloft, of fires flashing out amid the ruin. As the disaster fell heaviest on the Sardians, it brought them the largest measure of sympathy, the Caesar promising ten million sesterces, and remitting for five years their payments to the national and imperial exchequers. The Magnesians of Sipylus were ranked second in the extent of their losses and their indemnity. In the case of the Temnians, Philadelphenes, Aegeates, Apollonideans, the so-called Mostenians and Hyrcanian Macedonians, and the cities of Hierocaesarea, Myrina, Cyme, and Tmolus, it was decided to exempt them p461 from tribute for the same term and to send a senatorial commissioner to view the state of affairs and administer relief. Since Asia was held by a consular governor, an ex-praetor — Marcus Ateius — was selected, so as to avoid the difficulties which might arise from the jealousy of two officials of similar standing.” Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/Annals/2C*.html 404 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 234. 405 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 98. 406 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 99. 407 Henrichs, Albert, “Dionysus” in The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 479. 408 Henrichs, Albert, “Dionysus” in The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 479. 409 Henrichs, Albert, “Dionysus” in The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 479. 410 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 411 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 234-35. See: “1. In this work he mentions a writer, Miltiades, stating that he also wrote a certain book against the above-mentioned heresy. After quoting some of their words, he adds: “Having found these things in a certain work of theirs in opposition to the work of the brother Alcibiades,1604 in which he shows that a prophet ought not to speak in ecstasy, I made an abridgment.” 2. A little further on in the same work he gives a list of those who prophesied under the new covenant, among whom he enumerates a certain Ammia and Quadratus, saying: “But the false prophet falls into an ecstasy, in which he is without shame or fear. Beginning with purposed ignorance, he passes on, as has been stated, to involuntary madness of soul. 3. They cannot show that one of the old or one of the new prophets was thus carried away in spirit. Neither can they boast of Agabus, or Judas, or Silas, or the daughters of Philip, or Ammia in Philadelphia, or Quadratus, or any others not belonging to them.” 4. And again after a little he says: “For if after Quadratus and Ammia in Philadelphia, as they assert, the women with Montanus received the prophetic gift, let them show who among them 103

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 9. According to Aune, “During the middle of the second century, Mart. Pol. 19:1 mentions that eleven Philadelphian Christians died as martyrs with Polycarp of Smyrna.”412 10. “The letter to Philadelphia contains no note of disapproval or reproach.”413

EXEGESIS 1. 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 7 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Φιλαδελφείᾳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἅγιος, ὁ ἀληθινός, ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖν Δαυίδ, ὁ ἀνοίγων καὶ οὐδεὶς κλείσει, καὶ κλείων καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνοίγει· a. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: i. Write (γράψον aorist active imperative second person singular of γράφω). ii. b. Notice the self-descriptions of Jesus: i. He who is holy, ii. who is true, iii. who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 1. Linguistics a. Has (ἔχων present active participle of ἔχω) b. Who opens (ἀνοίγων present active participle of ἀνοίγω c. Who shuts (κλείων present active participle of κλείω) d. Beale indicates the change from plural (1:18) to singular is “probably not significant.”414 2. Background a. This is a direct quote from Isaiah 22:22, “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.” b. According to Wilson, in Isaiah 22, “God had vowed to dispose Shebna, the steward of the king’s palace (and probable vizier415 over the land), for hewing out a grave for himself in a place of prominence among the tombs of the kings (Isaiah 22:15-19). God instead promises to give his authority to another named Eliakim (22:20-21). ‘The key of David’ – a symbol of authority – would be placed upon his shoulder. In the Old Testament times, keys were often large received it from Montanus and the women. For the apostle thought it necessary that the prophetic gift should continue in all the Church until the final coming. But they cannot show it, though this is the fourteenth year since the death of Maximilla.” Source: https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201/npnf201.iii.x.xviii.html 412 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), p. 235. 413 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 98. 414 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 283. Beale notes at n. 191, “In support of this analysis, part of the textual tradition of 3:7 testifies to a clear link between this verse and 1:18, since some manuscripts replace Δαυίδ (David) with ᾅδου (“Hades; e.g., 104* 218 459 620 2050 2067*) or with τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου (“death and Hades”; e.g., 1893). Odes of Sol 17:9-13 and 42:11-20 understand the “open door” image of Rev 3:7 as Christ’s liberation of souls form the region of the dead.” 415 Vizier: a high official in some Muslim countries, especially in Turkey under Ottoman rule. Source: Oxford Dictionary.

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 and therefore carried over the shoulder. What Eliakim opened throughout Judah ‘no one can shut, and what he shuts, no one can open’ (Isaiah 22:22).”416 Hemer notes, “Eliakim controlled entry to the king’s house (Isaiah 22:22).”417 c. See Matthew 16:15-20, “15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.” d. Matthew 18:18, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. e. John 20:23, “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” f. In Revelation 3:7, John is arguing “Jesus, who now reigns ‘on David’s throne and over his kingdom,’ is the master Keyholder, carrying the government on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).”418 3. The language of 3:7 does reflect the authority of Christ. However, it is also true that John is revealing Jesus as a faithful steward of his church.419 2. 8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 8 Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα— ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ἐνώπιόν σου θύραν ἠνεῳγμένην, ἣν οὐδεὶς δύναται κλεῖσαι αὐτήν— ὅτι μικρὰν ἔχεις δύναμιν, καὶ ἐτήρησάς μου τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσω τὸ ὄνομά μου. a. ‘I know your deeds. b. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, i. An open (ἠνεῳγμένην perfect passive participle of ἀνοίγω). ii. Interpretive options: 1. Reference to evangelism.

416 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 273. 417 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 161. 418 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 273-74. 419 Ryken, Leland, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, “Keys” in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), p. 476. 105

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Reference to the heavenly access granted the faithful at Philadelphia. This is likely the case and finds deeper meaning in the Philadelphian culture known as the little Athens with a plethora of temples to gods and goddesses, where these Christians would be excluded. iii. Regarding the historical background for this language, Wilson indicates the metaphor known as the shut door “has been understood to refer to the excommunication of Christians from the synagogue according to the Twelfth Benediction issued by the Jews at the Council of Jamnia in A.D. 90.”420 The Twelfth Benediction reads as follows: “For the apostates let there be no hope, and may the kingdom of the arrogant be quickly uprooted in our days; and may the Nazarim and Minim instantly perish; may they be blotted from the book of the living and not be written with the righteous. Blessed are you Lord, humbler of the arrogant.”421 Another translation reads: “And for slanderers let there be no hope, and let all wickedness perish as in a moment; let all Your enemies be speedily cut off, and the dominion of arrogance uproot and crush, cast down and humble speedily in our days. Blessed art thou, O L-rd, who breaks the enemies and humbles the arrogant.”422 iv. Witherington argues, Christ, the holder of the Key, “has the key to the royal household, referring to the New Jerusalem. In all likelihood the open door mentioned in vs 8 refers to the door into the heavenly city or royal and heavenly mansion.”423 v. In summary, we may see the open door language in contrast with the closed door of the Jewish synagogue and the closed doors of the local temple cults. c. because you have a little power, ὅτι μικρὰν ἔχεις δύναμιν, i. you have (ἔχεις present active indicative of ἔχω) d. and have kept My word, i. Have kept (ἐτήρησάς aorist active indicative of τηρέω e. and have not denied My name. i. Denied (ἠρνήσω aorist middle indicative of ἀρνέομαι). 3. 9 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 9 ἰδοὺ διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ, τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι, καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀλλὰ ψεύδονται— ἰδοὺ ποιήσω αὐτοὺς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σου, καὶ γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγὼ ἠγάπησά σε. a. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, i. I will cause (διδῶ present active subjunctive first person singular of δίδωμι) ii. b. who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie— c. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, d. and make them know that I have loved you. i. This language is striking for a church experiencing persecution. Wilson argues, “This dramatic acknowledgement that God’s covenant love now

420 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 274. 421 Source: http://legacy.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/staff/Instone-Brewer/prepub/18%20Benedictions.pdf 422 Source: https://www.tzion.org/articles/EighteenBenedictions.htm#against%20slanderers 423 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 106

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 rests on Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus’ sign to the Philadelphians that he holds the key.”424 4. 10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 10 ὅτι ἐτήρησας τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου, κἀγώ σε τηρήσω ἐκ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τῆς μελλούσης ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅλης, πειράσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. a. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, b. I also will keep you from the hour of testing, i. Does this sound like dispensationalism?425 Dispensational writers take them as real letters to historical churches, but also as a preview of church history in its downward course toward Laodicean lukewarmness.426 “A dispensation is a way of ordering things—an administration, a system, or a management. In theology, a dispensation is the divine administration of a period of time; each dispensation is a divinely appointed age. Dispensationalism is a theological system that recognizes these ages ordained by God to order the affairs of the world. Dispensationalism has two primary distinctives: 1) a consistently literal interpretation of Scripture, especially Bible prophecy, and 2) a view of the uniqueness of Israel as separate from the Church in God’s program. Classical dispensationalism identifies seven dispensations in God’s plan for humanity.”427 c. that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. i. Witherington indicates the “author says nothing about taking the Christians out of the world; rather he speaks of Christ coming and protecting Christians.”428 ii. Dwell on the earth (or “earth dwellers”). Wilson notes this “distinctive participle is found here and in ten other text. The earth dwellers consistently oppose God and his will on earth (13:8; 12, 14 [2x]; 17:2,7).”429 d. Aune correctly observes that “the promise made here pertains to Philadelphians Christians only and cannot be generalized to include Christians in other churches of Asia, much less all Christians in all places and times.”430 Aune does miss the repeated generalizations given to all seven churches in the language of “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” 5. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 11 ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ὃ ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου. a. I am coming quickly; b. hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. i. Aune indicates, “‘to take away someone’s wreath,’ is a metaphor for being disqualified in a contest.”431

424 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 275. 425 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106. 426 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 64. 427 Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/dispensationalism.html 428 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 107. 429 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 275. 430 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 240. 431 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 241. 107

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 6. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. ὁ νικῶν ποιήσω αὐτὸν στῦλον ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μου, καὶ ἔξω οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃ ἔτι, καὶ γράψω ἐπ’ αὐτὸν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ μου καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως τοῦ θεοῦ μου, τῆς καινῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἡ καταβαίνουσα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ μου, καὶ τὸ ὄνομά μου τὸ καινόν. a. He who overcomes, b. I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, c. and he will not go out from it anymore; d. and I will write on him the name of My God, i. “Pillars with names inscribed on them are commonly seen in sites throughout western Turkey today. The imagery of pillars inscribed with names was familiar to Asia believers.”432 e. and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, f. which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 7. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ 13 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. a. He who has an ear, b. let him hear (ἀκουσάτω aorist active imperative of ἀκούω). c. what the Spirit says to the churches.’ 8. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 2. 8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. a. Jesus’ acknowledgement of the powerlessness of the Philadelphians is important in view of the fact that the church is being encouraged and not shamed. 3. 9 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 4. 10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 5. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 6. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 7. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

REVELATION 3:14-22 THE CHURCH AT LAODICEA

432 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 276. 108

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

14 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ Ἀμήν, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ·

15 Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι οὔτε ψυχρὸς εἶ οὔτε ζεστός. ὄφελον ψυχρὸς ἦς ἢ ζεστός. 16 οὕτως, ὅτι χλιαρὸς εἶ καὶ οὔτε ζεστὸς οὔτε ψυχρός, μέλλω σε ἐμέσαι ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου. 17 ὅτι λέγεις ὅτι Πλούσιός εἰμι καὶ πεπλούτηκα καὶ οὐδὲν χρείαν ἔχω, καὶ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ταλαίπωρος καὶ ἐλεεινὸς καὶ πτωχὸς καὶ τυφλὸς καὶ γυμνός, 18 συμβουλεύω σοι ἀγοράσαι παρ’ ἐμοῦ χρυσίον πεπυρωμένον ἐκ πυρὸς ἵνα πλουτήσῃς, καὶ ἱμάτια λευκὰ ἵνα περιβάλῃ καὶ μὴ φανερωθῇ ἡ αἰσχύνη τῆς γυμνότητός σου, καὶ κολλούριον ἐγχρῖσαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου ἵνα βλέπῃς. 19 ἐγὼ ὅσους ἐὰν φιλῶ ἐλέγχω καὶ παιδεύω· ζήλευε οὖν καὶ μετανόησον. 20 ἰδοὺ ἕστηκα ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν καὶ κρούω· ἐάν τις ἀκούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ἀνοίξῃ τὴν θύραν, καὶ εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δειπνήσω μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς μετ’ ἐμοῦ. 21 ὁ νικῶν δώσω αὐτῷ καθίσαι μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ μου, ὡς κἀγὼ ἐνίκησα καὶ ἐκάθισα μετὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ αὐτοῦ. 22 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις.

INTRODUCTION 1. “Laodicea (modern Eski-hisar, ‘the old fortress’) was located in the Lycus valley in southwest Phrygia at the juncture of two important imperial trade routes.”433 2. According to Wilson, Laodicea “was one of several cities founded around 260 BC by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus II, which he named after his wife Laodice.”434 3. Mounce posits the church of Laodicea faced a special problem, pride. “Their self- confidence had blinded them to the fact that in reality they were really ‘poor, blind, and naked.’”435 4. According to Mounce, “Laodicea’s major weakness [geographically speaking] was its lack of an adequate and convenient source of water. Its location had been determined by the road system rather than by natural resources. Thus water had to be brought in from springs near Denizli (six miles to the south)436 through a system of stone pipes approximately three feet in diameter. Such an aqueduct could easily be cut off, leaving the city helpless,

433 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 106. 434 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 277. 435 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 106. 436 Wilson states, “three miles north of modern Denizli). Zondervan, 277. 109

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 especially in the dry season when the Lycus could dry up.”437 The Lycus river in places was “turbid with white mud, its water nauseous and undrinkable.”438 Witherington notes, “Six miles away Hieropalis had its hot medical springs rich in calcium carbonate, and there was pure water in Colossae. Just across from Ladocea the hot springs went over limestone cliffs and became lukewarm and brackish.”439 Some of the hot springs in Hieropalis could reach a temperature close to the boiling point.440 However, the average temperature is about 95 degrees.441 Water piped in through aqueducts was lukewarm and emetic. Even today, residents of Ecirli, below Hieropalis, “are obliged to stand their drinking in jars to cool.”442 5. Laodicea was known for its success in banking and a famous medical school.443 See note below from Strabo 12.8.16-20.444 One of the famous students of Alexander Philalethes,

437 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 10. 438 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 189. 439 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 107. 440 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 182. 441 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 187. 442 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 188. 443 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 107. 444 16 Laodiceia, though formerly small, grew large in our time and in that of our fathers, even though it had been damaged by siege in the time of Mithridates Eupator. However, it was the fertility of its territory and the prosperity of certain of its citizens that made it great: at first Hieron, who left to the people an inheritance of more than two thousand talents and adorned the city with many dedicated offerings, and later Zeno the rhetorician and his son Polemon, the latter of whom, because of his bravery and honesty, was thought worthy even of a kingdom, at first by Antony and later by Augustus. The country round Laodiceia produces sheep that are excellent, not only for the softness of their wool, in which they surpass even the Milesian wool, but also for its raven-black colour,38 so that the Laodiceians derive splendid revenue from it, as do also the neighbouring Colosseni from the colour which bears the same name. And here the Caprus River joins the Maeander, as does also the Lycus, a river of good size, after which the city is called the "Laodiceia near Lycus." Above the city lies Mt. Cadmus, whence the Lycus flows, as does also another river of the same name as the mountain. But the Lycus flows under ground for the most part, and then, after emerging to the surface, unites with the other rivers, thus indicating that the country is full of holes and subject to earthquakes; for if any other country is subject to earthquakes, Laodiceia is, and so is Carura in the neighbouring country. 17 Carura forms a boundary between Phrygia and Caria. It is a village; and it has inns, and also fountains of boiling-hot waters, some in the Maeander River and some above its banks. Moreover, it is said that once, when a brothel-keeper had taken lodging in the inns along with a large number of women, an earthquake took place by night, and that he, together with all the women, disappeared from sight. And I might almost say that the whole of the territory in the neighbourhood of the Maeander is subject to earthquakes and is undermined with both fire and water as far as the interior; for, beginning at the plains, all these conditions extend through that country to the Charonia, I mean the Charonium at Hierapolis and that at Acharaca in Nysaïs and that near Magnesia and Myus. In fact, the soil is not only friable and crumbly but is also full of salts and easy to burn out. And perhaps the Maeander is winding for this reason, because the stream often changes its course and, carrying down much silt, adds the silt at different times to different parts of the shore; however, it forcibly thrusts a part of the silt out to the high sea. And, in fact, by its deposits of silt, extending forty stadia, it has made Prienê, which in earlier times was on the sea, an inland city. 18 Phrygia "Catacecaumenê," which is occupied by Lydians and Mysians, received its appellation for some such reason as follows: In Philadelphia, the city near it, not even the walls are safe, but in a sense are shaken and caused to crack every day. And the inhabitants are continually attentive to the disturbances in the earth and plan all structures with a view to their occurrence. And, among the other cities, Apameia was often shaken by earthquakes before the expedition of King Mithridates, who, when he went over to that country and saw that the city was in ruins, gave a hundred talents for its restoration; and it is said that the same thing took place in the time of Alexander. And this, in all probability, is why Poseidon is worshipped in their country, even though it is in the interior,46 and why the city was called Celaenae, that is, after Celaenus, the son of Poseidon by Celaeno, one of the daughters of Danaüs, or else 110

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 was a renowned ophthalmologists named Demosthenes of Philalethes, who wrote an influential textbook on the eye.”445 Galen describes “a treatment of the ears with an ointment explicitly Laodicean.”446 6. Wilson notes, “An ancient healing formula called Phrygian powder was also linked with the city. Zinc and alum were common in the area and former active elements in the popular eyesalves marketed by the city’s merchants.”447 7. Epictetus (Greek Stoic philosopher), a native of Hieropalis, is quoted by Arrian, regarding Laodicea and eyesalves, “One ought to approach these matters in a different fashion; the affair is momentous, it is full of mystery, not a chance gift, nor given to all comers. Nay, it may be that not even wisdom is all that is needed for the care of the young; one ought also to have a certain readiness and special fitness for this task, by Zeus, and a particular physique, and above all the counsel of God advising him to occupy this office, as God counselled Socrates to take the office of examining and confuting men, Diogenes the office of rebuking men in a kingly manner, and Zeno (Greek philosopher and mathematician) that of instructing men and laying down doctrines. 20 But you are opening up a doctor's office although you possess no equipment other than drugs, but when or how these drugs are applied you neither know nor have ever taken the trouble to learn. "See," you say, "that man has these eye-salves, and so have I." Have you, then, at all the faculty of using them aright? Do you know at all when and how and for whom they will do good? Why, then, do you play at hazard in matters of the utmost moment, why do you take things lightly, why do you put your hand to a task that is altogether inappropriate for you? Leave it to those who are able to do it, and do it with distinction. Do not yourself by your own actions join the number of those who bring because of the "blackness" of the stone, which resulted from the burn-outs. And the story of Mt. Sipylus and its ruin should not be put down as mythical, for in our own times Magnesia, which lies at the foot of it, was laid low by earthquakes, at the time when not only Sardeis, but also the most famous of the other cities, were in many places seriously damaged. But the emperor restored them by contributing money; just as his father in earlier times, when the inhabitants of Tralleis suffered their misfortune (when the gymnasium and other parts of the city collapsed), restored their city, as he also restored the city of the Laodiceians. 19 One should also hear the words of the ancient historians, as, for example, those of Xanthus, who wrote the history of Lydia, when he relates the strange changes that this country often underwent, to which I have already referred somewhere in a former part of my work. And in fact they make this the setting of the mythical story of the Arimi and of the throes of Typhon, calling it the Catacecaumenê country. Also, they do not hesitate to suspect that the parts of the country between the Maeander River and the Lydians are all of this nature, as well on account of the number of the lakes and rivers as on account of the numerous hollows in the earth. And the lake between Laodiceia and Apameia, although like a sea, emits an effluvium that is filthy and of subterranean origin. And they say that lawsuits are brought against the god Maeander for altering the boundaries of the countries on his banks, that is, when the projecting elbows of land are swept away by him; and that when he is convicted the fines are paid from the tolls collected at the ferries. 20 Between Laodiceia and Carura is a temple of Mên Carus, as it is called, which is held in remarkable veneration. In my own time a great Herophileian school of medicine has been established by Zeuxis (Herophilus was one of the greatest physicians of antiquity. He was born at Chalcedon in Bithynia, and lived at Alexandria under Ptolemy I, who reigned 323-285 B.C. His specialty was dissection; and he was the author of several works, of which only fragments remain), and afterwards carried on by Alexander Philalethes (Alexander of Laodiceia; author of medical works of which only fragments remain), just as in the time of our fathers the Erasistrateian school (Erasistratus, the celebrated physician and anatomist, was born in the island of Ceos and flourished 300-260 B.C.) was established by Hicesius, although at the present time the case is not at all the same as it used to be.” Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/12H*.html 445 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 278. 446 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 197. 447 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 278. 111

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 disgrace upon philosophy, and do not become one of those who disparage the profession. If, however, you find the principles of philosophy entertaining, sit down and turn them over in your mind all by yourself, but don't ever call yourself a philosopher, and don't allow anyone else to say it of you, but say, rather, "He is mistaken; for my desire is no different from what it used to be, nor my choice, nor my assent, nor, in a word, have I changed at all, in my use of external impressions, from my former state." Think this and say this about yourself, if you wish to think aright. If not, keep on playing at hazard and doing what you are doing now; for it becomes you.”448 8. Laodicea was known as “a throne city because Zeno, one of its citizens, was elevated by the Romans to the kingship of Cilicia in 39 BC and Pontus in 36. This was the city’s reward for resisting the invader Labienus Parthicus.”449 9. Coinage from this period features Zeno and a throne.450 10. The Apostle Paul references the church at Laodicea in Colossians 4:10-17, “10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and alsoBarnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.17 Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” 11. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 14 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ Ἀμήν, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ· a. Isaiah 65:16, “Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight!” 2. 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 15 Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι οὔτε ψυχρὸς εἶ οὔτε ζεστός. ὄφελον ψυχρὸς ἦς ἢ ζεστός. a. I know your deeds (know Οἶδά perfect active indicative of οἶδα). b. that you are neither cold nor hot ὅτι οὔτε ψυχρὸς εἶ οὔτε ζεστός. A literal reading is: that you are neither cold or neither hot.

448 Epictetus, the Discourses as reported by Arrian, the Manual, and Fragments, Book 3 (1928) by Epictetus, translated by William Abbott Oldfather. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Epictetus,_the_Discourses_as_ reported_by_Arrian,_ the_Manual,_and_Fragments/Book_3/Chapter_21 449 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 278. 450 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 278. 112

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Cold (ψυχρὸς adjective nominative singular masculine of ψυχρός). 1. ii. Hot (ζεστός adjective nominative singular masculine of ζεστός) 1. c. I wish that you were cold or hot. ὄφελον ψυχρὸς ἦς ἢ ζεστός. i. Wish (ὄφελον particle disjunctive of ὄφελον) ii. d. Other 3. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 16 οὕτως, ὅτι χλιαρὸς εἶ καὶ οὔτε ζεστὸς οὔτε ψυχρός, μέλλω σε ἐμέσαι ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου. a. So because you are lukewarm, i. Lukewarm (χλιαρὸς adjective nominative singular masculine of χλιαρός). The term χλιαρός refers to tepid water; as a metaphor an unfaithful soul fluctuating between torpor and fervor in spiritual devotion and love. ii. b. And 4. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 17 ὅτι λέγεις ὅτι Πλούσιός εἰμι καὶ πεπλούτηκα καὶ οὐδὲν χρείαν ἔχω, καὶ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ταλαίπωρος καὶ ἐλεεινὸς καὶ πτωχὸς καὶ τυφλὸς καὶ γυμνός, a. 17 Because you say, i. You b. “I am rich, and have become wealthy, c. and have need of nothing,” d. and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 5. 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 18 συμβουλεύω σοι ἀγοράσαι παρ’ ἐμοῦ χρυσίον πεπυρωμένον ἐκ πυρὸς ἵνα πλουτήσῃς, καὶ ἱμάτια λευκὰ ἵνα περιβάλῃ καὶ μὴ φανερωθῇ ἡ αἰσχύνη τῆς γυμνότητός σου, καὶ κολλούριον ἐγχρῖσαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου ἵνα βλέπῃς. a. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, i. I advise (συμβουλεύω present active indicative of συμβουλεύω). This term is significant and refers to the giving and receiving of counsel. The root word βουλή which means to consider, to decide, to make a reasoned decision. b. and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, i. According to Hemer, “The country around Laodicea produces sheep remarkable not only for the softness of their wool, in which they surpass even that of Miletus, but also for its raven-black [glossy] colour.”451 c. and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; i. There is an allusion to Genesis 3. d. and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

451 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 199. 113

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 6. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 19 ἐγὼ ὅσους ἐὰν φιλῶ ἐλέγχω καὶ παιδεύω· ζήλευε οὖν καὶ μετανόησον. a. Those whom I love, (φιλῶ present active subjunctive of φιλέω) i. The word φιλέω is significant. b. I reprove (ἐλέγχω present active indicative of ἐλέγχω). c. And discipline (παιδεύω present active indicative of παιδεύω). d. Be zealous (ζήλευε present active imperative of ζηλεύω) e. And repent (μετανόησον aorist active imperative of μετανοέω) 7. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 20 ἰδοὺ ἕστηκα ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν καὶ κρούω· ἐάν τις ἀκούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ἀνοίξῃ τὴν θύραν, καὶ εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δειπνήσω μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς μετ’ ἐμοῦ. a. Linguistics i. Behold I stand (ἕστηκα perfect active indicative of ἵστημι) ii. if anyone hears My voice and opens the door 1. Hears (ἀκούσῃ aorist active subjunctive of ἀκούω) 2. Opens (ἀνοίξῃ aorist active subjunctive of ἀνοίγω). iii. I will come in (εἰσελεύσομαι future middle indicative first person singular of εἰσέρχομαι). iv. And dine with him (δειπνήσω future active indicative of δειπνέω) b. Cultural background i. Greco-Roman sacral meals 1. An invitation to dine with a god. This sacral meal is “reflected in the numerous papyrus invitations to the κλίνη of Sarapis.452 The invitations to attend a dinner with the god Sarapis, of which thirteen have now been discovered, where the editor provides references to the other twelve. Almost all the invitations were issued under the name of a particular host.”453 2. An invitation to dine with an assistant god or to summon a god for purposes of divination. ii. The parable of the doorkeeper 1. Luke 12:35-40, “35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the

452 Gordon, Richard L. “Sarapis” in The Oxford Classical Dictionary: The Ultimate Reference Work on the Classical World, Third Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 1355. Sarapis (in Latin, Serapis), the Hellenized (Greek) form of Egypt. wsi᾿r ḥp, Osiris-Apis (Osorapis, Oser-), the hypostasis of Osiris and of Apis-bulls entombed at Saqqara (Plut. De Is. et Os. 29, 362cd). The cult was performed in the temple complex rebuilt by Nectanebo I and II (380–343 bce) above the ‘great chambers’, later called the Memphis Serapeum. This rebuilding was probably in recognition of the crowds of pilgrims, including many foreigners, who sought healing by incubation, oracles, and dream-interpretation. Recent excavation has shown that officials, priests, and poor alike were buried around the Serapeum way. The cult's importance was immediately grasped by the Macedonian occupiers left by *Alexander (3) the Great (JEg. Arch.1974, 239). Ptolemy (1) I made an extra loan of 50 talents for the burial of the Apis-bull (Diod. Sic. 1. 84. 8) and rebuilt the temple dromos. Also: “Serapis, also spelled Sarapis, Greco-Egyptian deity of the Sun first encountered at Memphis, where his cult was celebrated in association with that of the sacred Egyptian bull Apis (who was called Osorapis when deceased). He was thus originally a god of the underworld but was reintroduced as a new deity with many Hellenic aspects by Ptolemy I Soter (reigned 305–284 BCE), who centred the worship of the deity at Alexandria.” Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Serapis 453 114

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” iii. 8. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 21 ὁ νικῶν δώσω αὐτῷ καθίσαι μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ μου, ὡς κἀγὼ ἐνίκησα καὶ ἐκάθισα μετὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ αὐτοῦ. a. Regarding God’s throne and rulership from the throne, note the following: i. See Matthew 19:28, “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ii. See 2 Timothy 2:11-13, “11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” iii. See Hebrews 4:14-16, “14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” iv. See Hebrews 12:1-3, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” 9. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” 22 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις.

NOUTHETICS 1. 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 2. 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 3. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. Hemer is on task when he states, “The church was judged for its ineffectiveness rather than its half-heartedness, for the barrenness of its works rather than its spiritual temperature.”454 4. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 5. 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 6. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. a. Ramsey considers 19-22 to be an “epilogue to all seven letters rather than the concluding portion of the letter to Laodicea. But few have followed his position.”455 7. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 8. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 9. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

454 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 187. 455 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 112. 116

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 4:1-11 1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.

7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” 9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ θύρα ἠνεῳγμένη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἡ πρώτη ἣν ἤκουσα ὡς σάλπιγγος λαλούσης μετ’ ἐμοῦ, λέγων· Ἀνάβα ὧδε, καὶ δείξω σοι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι. μετὰ ταῦτα 2 εὐθέως ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματι· καὶ ἰδοὺ θρόνος ἔκειτο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον καθήμενος, 3 καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ὅμοιος ὁράσει λίθῳ ἰάσπιδι καὶ σαρδίῳ, καὶ ἶρις κυκλόθεν τοῦ θρόνου ὅμοιος ὁράσει σμαραγδίνῳ. 4 καὶ κυκλόθεν τοῦ θρόνου θρόνοι εἴκοσι τέσσαρες, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς θρόνους εἴκοσι τέσσαρας πρεσβυτέρους καθημένους περιβεβλημένους ἐν ἱματίοις λευκοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν στεφάνους χρυσοῦς. 5 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου ἐκπορεύονται ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί· καὶ ἑπτὰ λαμπάδες πυρὸς καιόμεναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου, ἅ εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ, 6 καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ὡς θάλασσα ὑαλίνη ὁμοία κρυστάλλῳ. Καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου τέσσαρα ζῷα γέμοντα ὀφθαλμῶν ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν· 7 καὶ τὸ ζῷον τὸ πρῶτον ὅμοιον λέοντι, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ζῷον ὅμοιον μόσχῳ, καὶ τὸ τρίτον ζῷον ἔχων τὸ πρόσωπον ὡς ἀνθρώπου, καὶ τὸ τέταρτον ζῷον ὅμοιον ἀετῷ πετομένῳ· 8 καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα, ἓν καθ’ ἓν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνὰ πτέρυγας ἕξ, κυκλόθεν καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμουσιν ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς λέγοντες· Ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος. 9 καὶ ὅταν δώσουσιν τὰ ζῷα δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ, τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, 10 πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἐνώπιον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου, λέγοντες· 11 Ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα, καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.

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INTRODUCTION 1. Much of the imagery, according to Wilson, is “drawn from God’s appearance to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19) and the visions of Ezekiel.”456 Also, see Daniel 7. 2. When does the scene happen in history? a. Mounce, “There is no way of knowing for sure just when and how John recorded his visionary experiences. Since the vision moves on naturally to the breaking of the seals and ultimately to the unveiling of the close of history, it is best to understand chapters 4 and 5 as referring essentially to a time yet future.”457 3. Mounce notes, “We must remember we are dealing with symbolism and guard against the tendency to read into the text more than is there.”458 4. Witherington notes regarding Revelation 4-5, “We are dealing here with highly metaphorical speech meant to convey a heavenly message by vivid images.”459

EXEGESIS 1. After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ θύρα ἠνεῳγμένη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἡ πρώτη ἣν ἤκουσα ὡς σάλπιγγος λαλούσης μετ’ ἐμοῦ, λέγων· Ἀνάβα ὧδε, καὶ δείξω σοι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι. μετὰ ταῦτα a. After these things I looked, and behold, a b. door standing open in heaven (“standing open” ἠνεῳγμένη perfect passive participle of ἀνοίγω). i. According to Mounce, “The perfect participle ἠνεῳγμένη could suggest that the door was opened and left for John’s arrival.”460 The passive would certainly support this idea. ii. “The motif connecting divine epiphanies with a heavenly door is particulary important in southwest Asia Minor in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The world-famous Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, according to numismatic and literary evidence, had a door in the front pediment that was apparently used for a ritual epiphany of the goddess.”461 c. and the first voice which I had heard, d. like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, e. “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” i. Mounce notes, “This definitely assigns the content of the following chapters to a period of time yet future (although embedded in the material are sections that refer to time already past, e.g., 12:1-6).”462 2. 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 2 εὐθέως ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματι· καὶ ἰδοὺ θρόνος ἔκειτο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον καθήμενος,

456 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 279. 457 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 117. 458 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 118. 459 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 116. 460 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 118. 461 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 281. 462 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 118. 118

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. Immediately I was in the Spirit; i. Literally, “I was in Spirit,” the noun is anarthrous (ἐν πνεύματι) – see 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10. Aune indicates the use of the word πνεῦμα doesn’t require an understanding of the Holy Spirit, but can also refer to being in a trance- like state. b. and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, i. Throne (θρόνος) symbolizing the “absolute sovereignty of God.463 “The throne’s universal sovereignty is highlighted by the fact that John places it in the center of his heavenly cosmology. The circular constructions around the throne symbolically enhance God’s cosmic, universal kingship, a symbolic configuration attested elsewhere in the ancient world.”464 c. and One sitting on the throne. 3. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 3 καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ὅμοιος ὁράσει λίθῳ ἰάσπιδι καὶ σαρδίῳ, καὶ ἶρις κυκλόθεν τοῦ θρόνου ὅμοιος ὁράσει σμαραγδίνῳ. a. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; i. Mounce notes that sardius, “the carnelian was a blood-red stone named after Sardis, near where it was found.”465 ii. Aune indicates, “Jasper is an opaque stone that tends to be red but is also found in yellow, green, and grayish blue.”466 b. and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. i. “If the rainbow that surrounded the throne was a halo, then the emerald is usually pictured as green; otherwise it is a colorless crystal that refracts a rainbow of prismatic colors.”467 ii. The philosopher Plato mentions these stones as “representative of precious stones.”468 Plato writes in Phaedo, “[110d] of color as they glisten amid the variety of the other colors, so that the whole produces one continuous effect of variety. And in this fair earth the things that grow, the trees, and flowers and fruits, are correspondingly beautiful; and so too the mountains and the stones are smoother, and more transparent and more lovely in color than ours. In fact, our highly prized stones, sards and [110e] jaspers, and emeralds, and other gems, are fragments of those there, but there everything is like these or still more beautiful. And the reason of this is that there the stones are pure, and not corroded or defiled, as ours are, with filth and brine by the vapors and liquids which flow together here and which cause ugliness and disease in earth and stones and animals and plants. And the earth there is adorned with all the jewels and also with gold and…”469

463 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 120. 464 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 320. 465 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 120. 466 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 295. 467 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 120. 468 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 120. 469 Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 1 translated by Harold North Fowler; Introduction by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1966. 119

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iii. Mounce notes, “Of the king of Tyre it is written, ‘Every precious stone was your covering, carnelian…emerald…and jasper’ (Ezek 28:16).”470 Also, according to Exodus 28:17-20, these are “among the twelve precious stones that adorned the breast-plate of the high priest.”471 iv. See Psalm 104:1-2, “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.” 4. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 4 καὶ κυκλόθεν τοῦ θρόνου θρόνοι εἴκοσι τέσσαρες, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς θρόνους εἴκοσι τέσσαρας πρεσβυτέρους καθημένους περιβεβλημένους ἐν ἱματίοις λευκοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν στεφάνους χρυσοῦς. a. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty- four elders sitting, i. “Around the throne” suggests a circular arrangement. ii. Who are the twenty-four elders?472 Possible interpretations: 1. Aune notes, “Figures form astral mythology, such as the twenty-four Babylonian star-gods of the zodiac, grouped around the polar star and divided of the north and south as judges of the living and the dead.”473 2. “Twenty-four hours represents the hours in the day, that is, God is offered round-the-clock praise.”474 See Revelation 4:8 and the idea of praise night and day. 3. The church collective both Jew and Gentile (hence twice twelve).475 4. The ideal church which includes the representative twelve patriarchs of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles of the New Testament.476 Wilson states Revelation uses the number twelve and its multiples symbolically; in the heavenly city are the names of the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles (Revelation 21:12, 14). These twenty-four elders are probably to be understood as the heavenly representatives of the Old Testament and New Testament saints.”477 5. Wilson argues “twenty-four is a significant number in the temple ministry. Twenty-four divisions of priests rotate through their ministry (1 Chron 24:3-19), and twenty-four groups of singers prophesy with harps, lyres, and cymbals (25:1-31). Revelation uses the number twelve and its multiples symbolically; in the heavenly city are the names of the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles

470 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 120. 471 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 120. 472 According to Witherington, there is “no known parallel to these twenty-four elders in other Jewish apocalyptic literature.” Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 117. 473 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 291. See Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 83. 474 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 117. 475 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 117. 476 George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 73. 477 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 280. 120

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 (Revelation 21:12, 14). These twenty-four elders are probably to be understood as the heavenly representatives of the Old Testament and New Testament saints.”478 6. The unique body of angels who help “execute divine rule in the universe.”479 According to John 20:12, white clothing is the garb of angels. However, according to Revelation 7:11, angels are clearly distinguished from elders480 therefore the elders as representing angels is unlikely. And yet, Mounce argues “it seems best to take the twenty-four elders as an exalted angelic order who serve and adore God.”481 7. Aune suggests this scene is a polemic against Roman Imperial authority.482 Regarding the twenty-four thrones and twenty-four elders, Aune notes this may be associated with “The twenty-four lictors of Domitian. Roman magistrates were accompanied by the number of lictores (bodyguards) carrying fasces (an axe protruding from a bundle of rods, signifying authority) corresponding to the degree of imperium to which they were entitled (Mommsen, Römisches Staatsrecht 1:355-56). During the monarchy, kings had twelve lictors, and under the Republic consuls also had twelve, while dictators had twenty-four (A. Berger, Roman Law, 565). Augustus also seems to have had twelve lictors from 31 to 23 B.C., though it is possible that he had twenty-four lictors until 27 B.C.(Mommsen, Römisches Staatsrecht 1:385 n. 5). The maximum number of lictors was raised by Domitian from twelve to twenty- four (Dio 67.4.3; Suetonius Dom. 4; Mommsen, Römisches Staatsrecht 1:388; Alföldi, Repräsentation, 102). Domitian presided at games flanked by various priests wearing gold crowns (Suetonius Dom. 4.4; LCL. tr.). It is wise to remember that “Deification of the emperor was now obligatory and used as a test to identity Christians. Offerings of incense, prayers, and vows were expressions of loyalty to the state, and nonconformists were considered disloyal and punished. The Domitianic persecution extended into Asia Minor, including several cities mentioned in Revelation 1–3 which were, at this time, important centers of emperor worship.”483 Regarding Aune’s comment, Leithart agues, “It is all very convincing, but for two issues. First, it is not clear why this needs to be an “alternative” to the “major competing view” that the scene of Revelation 4-5 resembles the Christian liturgy. To pose them as competing views is to depoliticize Christian worship. It seems rather that one leading point of the scene is that Christian worship, being worship of a heavenly king, is a challenge to imperial propaganda. Second, the

478 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 279-80. 479 George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 75. 480 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 279. 481 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 121. 482 David Aune, “The Influence of Roman Imperial Court Ceremonial on the Apocalypse of John,” Biblical Research 28 [1983] 5-26. 483 Donald L. Jones, “Christianity and the Roman Imperial Cult,” ANRW 2.23.2 2 (1034). 121

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 notion that the heavenly liturgy is a “projection,” either of Christian liturgy or of imperial court ceremonial, rests on the assumption that John composed the Apocalypse rather than recording visions he actually saw. If John really was caught up through a door in the sky to see heaven’s worship, there is no projection, unless it is the other direction – the heavenly court and liturgy dimly mimicked by God’s images on earth.”484 b. clothed in white garments, i. “In Judaism, white or light garments connoted joy, purity, and social dignity, while dark or colored garments were worn by women and lower- class men.”485 c. and golden crowns on their heads. i. Aune indicates, “Priests of the imperial cult in Asia Minor customarily wore gold crowns displaying busts of the emperor(s) and family members, a custom largely limited to Asia Minor.”486 5. 5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 5 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου ἐκπορεύονται ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί· καὶ ἑπτὰ λαμπάδες πυρὸς καιόμεναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου, ἅ εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ, a. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. i. The language of flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder would “remind the reader of the great theophany of Sinai when God descended in fire and smoke heralded by thunder and lighting (Exodus 19:16-ff).”487 ii. “The thunderbolt was closely associated with the Greek god Zeus, as it was with his Roman counterpart Jupiter, and was consequently used as a symbol suggesting the divinity of several Roman emperors including Domitian and Trajan.”488 b. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6. 6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 6 καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ὡς θάλασσα ὑαλίνη ὁμοία κρυστάλλῳ. Καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου τέσσαρα ζῷα γέμοντα ὀφθαλμῶν ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν· a. and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; b. and in the center and around the throne, i. This language probably indicates the four creatures “stood near” the throne.489 c. four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7. 7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 7 καὶ

484 Leithart, Peter. “Heavenly Court, Caesar’s Court”. Source: https: //www.patheos.com/blogs/leithart/ 2016/01/ heavenly-court/ 485 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 293. 486 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 293. 487 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 122. 488 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 295. 489 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 328. 122

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 τὸ ζῷον τὸ πρῶτον ὅμοιον λέοντι, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ζῷον ὅμοιον μόσχῳ, καὶ τὸ τρίτον ζῷον ἔχων τὸ πρόσωπον ὡς ἀνθρώπου, καὶ τὸ τέταρτον ζῷον ὅμοιον ἀετῷ πετομένῳ· a. The first creature was like a lion, b. and the second creature like a calf, c. and the third creature had a face like that of a man, d. and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. e. What is the identity of the four living creatures? i. Irenaeus (130-202 AD):490 1. Matthew = Human face 2. Mark = Eagle 3. Luke = Ox 4. John = Lion ii. Victorinus of Pettau, (d. 304 AD):491 1. Matthew = Human face 2. Mark = Lion 3. Luke = Ox 4. John = Eagle iii. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD):492 1. Matthew = Lion 2. Mark = Human face 3. Luke = Ox 4. John = Eagle iv. Common associations based on the teaching of Augustine.493 1. Matthew = Jesus as Messiah 2. Mark = Jesus as the Suffering Servant 3. Luke = Jesus as the Son of Man 4. John = Jesus as the Son of God v. These creatures represent God’s created natural order:494 1. Humankind is the head of all creation and noted for his intelligence. 2. The lion is the chief of the wild animals and noted for his ferocity. 3. The ox is the chief of the domesticated animals and noted for his strength. 4. The eagle is the chief of the birds of the air and noted for his freedom. vi. Witherington argues, “We cannot equate these creatures with the four Gospels. They probably should rather be seen as heavenly archetypes of the whole of the animate creation. Their function is unceasing praise, day and night.”495 So Beale who writers, “it is likely that the four figures are designed to be representative of the whole created order of animate life.”496

490 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 281. 491 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 281. Based on my understand of the four gospels, Victorinus’ assessment is most accurate. 492 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 281. 493 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 281. 494 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 280-81. 495 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 118. 496 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 329. 123

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 According to Mounce, “All attempts to equate the living creatures with the four Gospels are groundless.”497 8. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” 8 καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα, ἓν καθ’ ἓν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνὰ πτέρυγας ἕξ, κυκλόθεν καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμουσιν ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς λέγοντες· Ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος. a. Introduction. i. Revelation 4:8 and 11 constitute two hymn texts. 1. Revelation 4:8, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” 2. Revelation 4:11, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” ii. Beale comments, “The hymns in these verses interpret the vision of God on the throne surrounded by heavenly beings, fire, and a sea to mean that God is holy and sovereign over creation, which demonstrates his ‘worthiness’ to be praised, worshiped, and glorified. The hymns make explicit the main point of the vision and of the whole chapter: God is to be glorified because of his holiness and sovereignty.”498 b. The text i. And the four living creatures, ii. each one of them having six wings, 1. What is the significance of the three pairs of wings? The wings may represent complete or comprehensive humility. iii. are full of eyes around and within; 1. What is the significance of multiple eyes? The multiple eyes may represent comprehensive perception of who God is. As such, in pure humility and pure comprehension of God, WORSHIP is the natural response. iv. and day and night they do not cease to say, 1. Do not cease (οὐκ ἔχουσιν present active indicative of ἔχω). v. “Holy, holy, holy 1. Holy (ἅγιος). This is called the triasagios, i.e., the three times holy statement.499 2. Beale writes, “The influence of Isaiah 6 continues in v 8b, since the trishagion finds it background in Isaiah 6:3, where the seraphim change God’s holiness and glory, which fills the entire earth.”500 3. Clement of Rome wrote to believers at Corinth instructing them in the use of the triasagios, “The good servant receives the bread of his labour with confidence; the lazy and slothful cannot look his employer in the face. It is requisite, therefore, that we be prompt in

497 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 125. 498 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 331-32. 499 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 281. 500 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 332. 124

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 the practice of well-doing; for of Him are all things. And thus He forewarns us: "Behold, the Lord [cometh], and His reward is before His face, to render to every man according to his work." He exhorts us, therefore, with our whole heart to attend to this, that we be not lazy or slothful in any good work. Let our boasting and our confidence be in Him. Let us submit ourselves to His will. Let us consider the whole multitude of His angels, how they stand ever ready to minister to His will. For the Scripture says, "Ten thousand times ten thousand stood around Him, and thousands of thousands ministered to Him, and cried, Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of Sabaoth; the whole creation is full of His glory." And let us therefore, conscientiously gathering together in harmony, cry to Him earnestly, as with one mouth, that we may be made partakers of His great and glorious promises. For [the Scripture] says, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which He has prepared for those who wait for Him.”501 4. Is the Lord God (κύριος, ὁ θεός,). a. Literally, “Lord, the God.” Witherington indicates. vi. the Almighty, vii. who was and who is and who is to come.” 1. See Revelation 1:4-5, “4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” 2. Mounce demonstrates, “In the Greek world, similar titles for the gods [have been] found. In the song of the doves at Dodona we read of ‘Zeus who was, Zeus who is, and Zeus who will be’”502 a. Based on his description of Greece, we read in Pausanias 10.12.10, “Phaennis, daughter of a king of the Chaonians, and the Peleiae (Doves) at Dodona also gave oracles under the inspiration of a god, but they were not called by men Sibyls. To learn the date of Phaennis and to read her oracles . . . for Phaennis was born when Antiochus was establishing his kingship immediately after the capture of Demetrius. The Peleiades are said to have been born still earlier than Phemonoe, and to have been the first women to chant these verses:–Zeus was, Zeus is, Zeus shall be; O mighty Zeus. Earth sends up the harvest, therefore sing the praise of earth as Mother.”503 3. “The titles show that the intention of this crucial vision os to give the supra-historical perspective of ‘the one who is, was, and is coming,’ which is to enable the suffering readers to perceive his

501 1 Clement 34. Clement of Rome. English translation by Roberts-Donaldson. Source: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-roberts.html 502 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 46. See Rev 1:4. 503 Source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias10A.html 125

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 eternal purpose and so motivate them to persevere faithfully through tribulation.”504 4. See Exodus 3:13-15. The Hebrew background is the memorial name of God. Also known as the Tetragrammaton, or the four letters of YHWH, is the designation used for the personal name or memorial name of God. God revealed His personal name to Moses in Exodus 3:13-15. Mike Heiser (Ph.D., Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison) argues the difference in spelling from the original Hebrew is a matter of Hebrew morphology or word formation. God is the speaker in Exodus 3:14 and is speaking of himself. As a result, what God says in answer is in the first person. God’s answer (‘ehyeh ‘asher ‘ehyeh) employs the “to be” verb in biblical Hebrew two times. That verb is Hebrew HYH. The middle consonant (y) was frequently interchanged in ancient Semitic languages with the consonant “w” in “to be” formations. The Semitic root HWY (“to be, become”) and Aramaic HWH (“to be, become”) are also considered part of the explanation. I bring this up because it is necessary to account for the “w” in YHWH (as opposed to YHYH) in the divine name form” (cf., michaelsheiser.com). Emphasis mine. 9. 9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 9 καὶ ὅταν δώσουσιν τὰ ζῷα δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ, τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, a. And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, b. to Him who lives forever and ever, 10. 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 10 πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἐνώπιον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου, λέγοντες· a. the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, i. It is important to notice that what triggers the elders to fall down and worship is the example of worship given by the four living creatures. Regarding the four creatures, Witherington states, “They were, so to speak, meant to lift up the one who is on the throne.”505 ii. Beale argues, “the four living beings represent the whole of animate life. They are performing the function that all creation is meant to fulfill. That is, all things were created to praise God for his holiness and glorify him for his work of creation.”506 iii. Beale is on point when he states, “The twenty-four elders specifically represent the purpose of redeemed humanity, which is to praise and glorify

504 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 333. 505 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 118. 506 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 332. 126

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 God, and this purpose is actually carried out, not only by them in heaven, but also by the true community of faith on earth.”507 iv. See the follow related texts: 1. Psalm 19:1-6, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. 2. Psalm 104:24-26, “O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. 25 There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. 26 There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.” 3. Psalm 148:1-4, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; 8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; 9 Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; 10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl;

507 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 332. 127

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; 12 Both young men and virgins; Old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. 14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord!” 4. Romans 1:18-20, “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. b. and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, i. Worship (προσκυνήσουσιν future active indicative of προσκυνέω). ii. Lives (ζῶντι present active participle of ζάω). c. and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, i. Saying (λέγοντες present active participle plural of λέγω). ii. Wilson states, “Crowns presented by a subject to a ruler was a typical act of subservience in antiquity. When Mark Antony visited Ephesus in 41 BC, the Judean Jews sent an embassy to petition him regarding the injustice to their people. This delegation brought him a golden crown, the reception of which Antony acknowledged in his reply. Such a gift was a common practice, for Josephus records the presentation of a crown from nearly every Jewish embassy to the Romans.”508 11. 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”11 Ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα, καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν. a. “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, i. Notice, “The praise of the elders differs from that of the living creatures in that it is addressed directly to God.”509 ii. Worthy (Ἄξιος adjective nominative singular masculine). 1. The term ἄξιος is important to the Greek mind since it focuses on the concept of comparison, or comparing one thing with another. Something can be so miserable that it is not worth comparing with anything. Or, something may be so glorious that nothing can be

508 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 282. 509 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 126. 128

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 compared to it. Ἄξιος can also refer to that which is appropriate, fitting, deserving, or worthy.510 2. Aune argues the sense here is “what is fitting or proper (Louw-Nida, § 66.6), which means that the ascription of glory, honor, and power to God on the part of his worshipers is fully appropriate, because God is creator.”511 3. Mounce argues, “the first words of the hymn are taken from the political language of the day: ‘You are worthy’ greeted the entrance of the emperor in triumphal procession.”512 4. Ἄξιος is “used as an epithet appropriate for benefactors in the Greco-Roman world.”513 Aune suggests consideration of an ancient “letter from a soldier to his father in which he says, ‘you are worthy,’ in Llewelyn, New Docs 6.156-67.”514 iii. Regarding the language, “our Lord and our God,” 1. Aune indicates, “Rome never had a ceremony to deify a living emperor (Liebeschuetz, Religion,74), but the posthumous deification of emperors began with a senatus consultum, or senatorial decree, introduced by the Triumvirs and passed by the senate. The effect of the new status of Julius Caesar (b. 100 BC and d. 44 BC) as divus Iulius was the legitimation of his adopted heir Octavian (b. 63 BC and d. 14 AD) as divi filius, ‘son of the god.’”515 2. Furthermore, Aune demonstrates, “Though the notion of divinity of the Roman emperor lies behind Revelation 4:11, there is an important difference to be made between emperors who were deified posthumously by an act of the senate and emperors who claimed divinity or to whom divinity was ascribed while yet living.”516 3. Wilson comments, “Early Christians acutely felt the tension when they were asked to acclaim the emperor as Lord and God (Lat. Dominus et deus).517 4. “Gaius Caligula was the first living emperor to claim divinity, calling himself ‘best and greatest,’ a title traditionally reserved for the church Roman deity Jupiter.”518 Aune states Gaius used the titlte, “optimus maximus Caesar, ‘Caesar best and greatest’ (Cal. 22.1), a traditional title for the chief deity of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and also that he was greeted as Jupiter Latiaris, cf., Suetonius Cal. 22.2; Dio Cassius 59.2.5.”519

510 Bauer, Gingrich and Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1979), p. 78. 511 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 309. 512 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 126-27. 513 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 309. 514 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 309-10. 515 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 310. 516 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 310. 517 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 518 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 519 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 310. 129

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. Nero accepted acclaim as dominus.520 6. However, it was Domitian who specifically adopted the twin titles Lord and God. Not only did he send out letters under these names, but also demanded that he be addressed by them.”521 So Aune who writes, “According to Philo, Gaius was indelicate enough to claim divinity for himself (Philo Leg. 353). See Philo On the Embassy to Gaius, XI.75-85.522 So Aune who posits the claims of Gaius and

520 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 521 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 522 Philo On the Embassy to Gaius, XI.75-85: “XI. (74) Having now, then, entirely accomplished the three undertakings above-mentioned, with reference to three most important divisions, two of them belonging to the country, one to the class of counsellors and the other to the knights, and the third affecting his own relations, and considering that now that he had thus put down the mightiest and most powerful of his foes, he must have struck all the rest with the utmost terror, alarming the counsellors by the death of Silanus (75) (for he was inferior to no one in the senate), and the knights by the execution of Macro (for he, like the leader of a chorus, had long been considered the very first man of the knights for reputation and glory), and all his blood relations by the slaughter of his cousin and joint inheritor of the kingdom, he no longer chose to remain fettered by the ordinary limits of human nature, but aspired to raise himself above them, and desired to be looked upon as a god. (76) And at the beginning of this insane desire they say that he was influenced by such a train of reasoning as the following: for as the curators of the herds of other animals, namely cowherds, and goatherds, and shepherds, are neither oxen nor goats, nor sheep, but men who have received a more excellent portion, and a more admirable formation of mind and body; so in the same manner, said he, is it fitting that I who am the leader of the most excellent of all herds, namely, the race of mankind, should be considered as a being of a superior nature, and not merely human, but as one who has received a greater and more holy portion. (77) Accordingly, having impressed this idea on his mind, like a vain and foolish man as he was, he bore about in himself a fallacious fable and invention as if it had been a most undeniable truth; and after he had once carried his boldness and audacity to such a pitch as to compel the multitude to admit of his most impious deification, he attempted to do other things consistent with and conformable to it, and in this way he advanced up to the highest point by slow degrees as if he were ascending up steps. (78) For he began at first to liken himself to those beings who are called demigods, such as Bacchus, and Hercules, and the twins of Lacedaemon; turning into utter ridicule Trophonius, and Amphiaraus, and Amphilochus, and others of the same kind, with all their oracles and secret ceremonies, in comparison of his own power. (79) In the next place, like an actor in a theatre, he was continually wearing different dresses at different times, taking at one time a lion's skin and a club, both gilded over; being then dressed in the character of Hercules; at another time he would wear a felt hat upon his head, when he was disguised in imitation of the Spartan twins, Castor and Pollux; sometimes he also adorned himself with ivy, and a thyrsus, and skins of fawns, so as to appear in the guise of Bacchus. (80) And he looked upon himself as being in this respect superior to all of these beings, because each of them while he had his own peculiar honours had no claim to those which belonged to the others, but he in his envious ambition appropriated all the honours of the whole body of demigods at once, or I should rather say, appropriated the demigods themselves; transforming himself not into the triple-bodied Geryon, so as to attract all beholders by the multitude of his bodies; but, what was the most extraordinary thing of all, changing and transforming the essence of one body into every variety of form and figure, like the Egyptian Proteus, whom Homer has represented as being susceptible of every variety of transformation, into all the elements, and into the animals, and plants, which belong to the different Elements.{5}{the passage in Homer is to be found at Odyssey 4.363. It is imitated more concisely by Virgil, Georg. 4.410, who makes Cyrene tell Aristaeus (which is thus translated by Pope)--"Instant he wears, elusive of the rape, / The mimic force of every savage shape: / Or glides with liquid lapse a murm'ring stream, / Or wrapt in flame, he glows at every limb. / Yet still retentive, with redoubled might / Thro' each vain passive form constrains his flight. / But when, his native shape resumed, he stands / Patient of conquest, and your cause demands; / The cause that urg'd the bold attempt declare, / And soothe the vanquish'd with a victor's prayer. / The bands relaxed, implore the seer to say / What godhead interdicts the wat'ry way."} (81) And yet why, O Gaius! did you think yourself in need of spurious honours, such as the temples and statues of the beings above-mentioned are often filled with? You ought rather to have imitated their virtues. Hercules purified both the earth and the sea, performing labours of the greatest possible importance and of the highest benefit to all mankind, in order to eradicate all that was mischievous and calculated to injure the nature of each of the elements. (82) Bacchus rendered the vine susceptible of cultivation, and extracted a most delicious drink from it, which is at the same time most beneficial to the souls and bodies of men, leading the first to cheerfulness, working in them a 130

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Domitian were thought to “violate the gravitas and dignitas of a Roman emperor.”523 7. According to Aune, “The recognition of the divinity of living emperors becomes more frequent in the second century AD. Lucien calls Marcus Aurelius θεὸς Μάρκος, god-like Marcus (Alex. 48).”524 iv. Note the follow sources cited by Ben Witherington on Domitian:525 1. Suetonius Domitian 13.1-2.. “1 When he became emperor, he did not hesitate to boast in the senate that he had conferred their power on both his father and his brother, and that they had but returned him his own; nor on taking back his wife after their divorce, that he had "recalled her to his divine couch." He delighted to hear the people in the amphitheatre shout on his feast day: "Good Fortune attend our Lord and Mistress." Even more, in the Capitoline competition, when all the people begged him with great unanimity to restore Palfurius Sura, who had been banished some time before from the senate, and on that occasion received the prize for oratory, he deigned no reply, but merely had a crier bid them be silent. 2 With no less arrogance he began as follows in issuing a circular letter in the name of his procurators, "Our Master and our God bids that this be done." And so the custom arose of henceforth addressing him in no other way even in writing or in conversation. He suffered no statues to be set up in his honour in the Capitol, except of gold and silver and of a fixed weight. He erected so many and such huge vaulted passage- ways and arches in the various regions of the city, adorned with chariots and triumphal emblems, that on one of them someone wrote in Greek: ‘It is enough.’”526 2. Dio Cassius, in his work entitled Roman History, writes, “For he even insisted upon being regarded as a god and took vast pride in being called ‘master’ and ‘god.’ These titles were used not merely in speech but also in written documents.”527 b. to receive glory and honor and power; forgetfulness of evils and a hope of blessings, and making the latter more healthy, and vigorous, and active, and supple. (83) And individually it renders each man better, and alters populous families and households, leading them from a squalid and laborious life of vexation to a course of relaxation and cheerful happiness, and causing to every city on earth, both Grecian and barbarian, incessant festivity, and mirth, and entertainment, and revelry; for of all these things is good wine the cause. (84) Again, it is said that the twin sons of Jupiter, Castor and Pollux, are partakers of immortality. For since the one was mortal and the other immortal, the one who had had the more excellent portion assigned to him did not choose to behave in a selfish manner, but rather to display his good will and affection towards his brother; (85) for having acquired the idea that eternity was never-ending, and considering that he was to live for ever, and that his brother was to be dead for ever, and that in conjunction with his own immortality he should likewise be enduring an undying sorrow on account of his brother, he conceived and carried out a most marvellous system of counterbalancing, mingling mortality with himself and immortality with his brother, and thus he modified inequality, which is the beginning of all injustice, by equality, which is the fountain of justice.” Source: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book40.html 523 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 310. 524 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 310. 525 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 118. 526 Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Domitian*.html 527 Dio Cassius, Romans History, 67.4.7. Source: http ://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts /Cassius_Dio/67*.html 131

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Receive (λαβεῖν aorist active infinitive of λαμβάνω). c. for You created all things, i. The creative acts of God and His authority as revealed in creative power are central to Revelation 4-5. d. and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” 12. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Grace is depicted in this scene in heaven. The elders should be understand as representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Although scholarly opinion is divided on the issue, this conclusion is reasonable and linguistically fits within the greater framework of God’s redemptive work through the Old and New Testaments. a. Human representatives are seated before God. This certainly reveals acceptance and share honor. b. Human representatives are allowed to rule with God – See Matthew 19. c. Human representatives have profound histories of sin, disobedience, rebellion, and brokenness before God. 2. Aune is correct in suggesting that this letter would naturally be taken as propaganda against Roman Imperialism and persecution. The emperor my require twenty-four lictors to protect him and honor. YHWH, the true God and true sovereign authority of heaven and earth doesn’t need bodyguards. 3. This text is about the sovereignty of God. 4. This text is about the kind of worship the sovereign God of heaven and earth deserves. Beale writes to the point, “The readers are given a look into heaven to see that saints of old together with deceased Christians who have persevered have received the heavenly reward of crowns, white clothing, and kingship. And the readers can be assured that they too will receive a like reward, if they are faithful to the end. This assurance is intensified since the vision actually portrays the reward of saints of all ages, including those yet to die.”528 5. Beale posits, “One of the purposes of the church meeting on earth in its weekly gatherings is to be reminded of its heavenly existence and identity.”529 6. Witherington, citing Hurtado, notes the elders are “heavenly archetypes of what we are supposed to do and be on earth – priests and kings (noting the crowns) who lead God’s people to worship the one on the throne.”530 So Beale, “As in chapters 1-3, the church is pictured in angelic guise to remind its members that already a dimension of their existence is heavenly, that their real home is not with the unbeliever ‘earth-dwellers,’ and that they have heavenly help and protection in their struggle to obtain their reward and not be conformed to their pagan environment.”531

528 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 322. 529 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 323. 530 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 117. See n 131 for reference to Larry Hurtado. 531 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 323. 132

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 7. Mounce is on point when he states, “The picture [scene in heaven] is intensely evocative – of God’s greatness and sovereignty; the only proper response, as one find in heaven itself, is obeisance and worship.”532 The next vision in Revelation 5 will be in striking contrast.

532 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 127. 133

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 5 1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

1 Καὶ εἶδον ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου βιβλίον γεγραμμένον ἔσωθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν, κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγῖσιν ἑπτά. 2 καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν κηρύσσοντα ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Τίς ἄξιος ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ λῦσαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ; 3 καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό. 4 καὶ ἐγὼ ἔκλαιον πολὺ ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄξιος εὑρέθη ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό· 5 καὶ εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγει μοι· Μὴ κλαῖε· ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ, ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ.

6 Καὶ εἶδον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀρνίον ἑστηκὸς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον, ἔχων κέρατα ἑπτὰ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑπτά, οἵ εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀπεσταλμένοι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. 7 καὶ ἦλθεν καὶ εἴληφεν ἐκ τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου. 8 καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβεν τὸ βιβλίον, τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, ἔχοντες ἕκαστος κιθάραν καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων· 9 καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· Ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους, 10 καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 11 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων, 12 λέγοντες

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Ἄξιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένον λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν. 13 καὶ πᾶν κτίσμα ὃ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα, ἤκουσα λέγοντας· Τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. 14 καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα ἔλεγον· Ἀμήν. καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν καὶ προσεκύνησαν.

INTRODUCTION 1. Hermeneutics and the essential historical focus on the text of scripture. a. Richards comments, “I was invited to contribute an article for a popular Christian magazine about reading the Bible better. I suggest “What this verse means to me is …” can be a very poor way to start a Bible study discussion. It implies a verse can mean one thing to one person and something else to another. Rather, we should start with “What did the verse mean back then?” and then ask, “How does that meaning apply to me today?” If we do not intentionally think about their situation, we will unintentionally assume ours.”533 2. Scrolls in the ancient Greco-Roman world. a. Wilson states, “In the first century there were primarily two types of written documents – parchments (2 Timothy 4:13) and scrolls. Scrolls were made of papyrus from the Nile delta in Egypt and usually written on one side. This was the side on which the fibers ran horizontally, which made it easier to write on with a pointed reed pen dipped in black ink made from charcoal, gum, and water.”534 i. Legal scrolls. According to Wilson, “In 1962, Ta’âmireh Bedouin tribesmen discovered a number of papyri in caves north of Jericho. The least damaged among these was a papyrus roll sealed with seven seals. After these seals were cut, the papyrus was moistened carefully and the folds flattened…lines of Aramaic script appeared. The scroll was a legal document recording the sale of a slave named Yehohanan and was dated March 18, 335 B.C. All the papyri turned out to be legal or administrative documents.”535 b. “Why would a scroll have seven seals? If I just wrinkle my brow and ponder why an ancient scroll might have seven seals, I could (wrongly) conclude seven seals meant “sealed really well.” Or maybe, I might spiritualize it and say that maybe seven seals meant “spiritually sealed.” Rather than just pondering, I should research it.”536 c. According to Richards, “Someone hearing this story in the first century would have thought, ‘Seven seals? Oh, it was a will.’” In the Roman Empire, wills (as in a Last Will and Testament) were officially registered and filed at the government office. This was too expensive and official for most folks. There was another method (Gaius 2.147). A person invited the heir, the executor and (usually) five witnesses to attend. He dictated his will to a secretary. When the document was finished, it was rolled up. Each person attested that it was correct and official by wrapping a string around it, tying it, putting a drop of wax on his knot and then pressing his seal into the wax. Thus the will would have seven seals. When it was time to make the inheritance official, the heir and the executor had to be there and a majority of

533 Source: https ://randolphrichards.com/2016/07/21/a-scroll-with-seven-seals/ 534 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 535 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 284. 536 E. Randolph Richards, “Scrolls, Books and Seals,” The Biblical Illustrator (Summer 2015): 90-92.). 135

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 the witnesses. A papyrus from A.D. 325 actually describes the opening of a will: The executor says to the secretary: “In the presence of whom did you make out the will?” The notary answers: “The signatories.” The executor asks, “How many signatories are there?” The notary answers, “Seven, and four are present.” The executor says, “Let the four subscribe that they have recognized their own seals.” After the signatories present had subscribed that they recognized their own seals, the will was opened and read (Condensed from POxy. LIV 3758.)”537 d. Richards asserts, “Revelation 5 is about the opening of a will. We are also told that even rolled up, you could see the book was written on both sides, indicating that the entire document was full of text; it’s a will with a lot of stuff in it. The setting in the Revelation is a heavenly throne scene. The will is the Will and Testament of the Father. John weeps because none of the seven were there to open the will. Then the Lamb steps forward. He opens all seven—that was the part we were to supposed to notice. He is the Heir and the Executor of the will. More than that, he is all five witnesses. The Will of the Father was written before anyone else was around, since there had been no one else to witness it. We see in visionary form what other Scriptures also tell us. The Father’s plan was made before creation and the Son will inherit everything.”538 3. Witherington is on task when he posits, “Revelation 5 is about God’s work not in creation but rather in redemption.”539 4. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 1 Καὶ εἶδον ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου βιβλίον γεγραμμένον ἔσωθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν, κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγῖσιν ἑπτά. a. I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne i. Aune notes “The scroll is introduced here at the beginning of this section of the text, while mention of the Lamb is intentionally delayed until v 6 (though he is referred to in v 5, anticipating v 6, under the titles ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah’ and ‘Descendent of David,’ both of which underline the messianic character of the Lamb.”540 ii. God is right-handed. = ) b. a book written inside and on the back, i. Book (βιβλίον) should be understood and translated as scroll not a codex,541 even though the development of the codices did exist by the early to mid- first century.542 ii. “The scroll that John sees in God’s hand is called an opisthograph because it has writing on both sides.”543 The front side of a scroll is called the recto and the back side is called the verso. Writers used the verso only if he ran

537 Source: https ://randolphrichards.com/2016/07/21/a-scroll-with-seven-seals/ 538 Source: https ://randolphrichards.com/2016/07/21/a-scroll-with-seven-seals/ 539 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 119. 540 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 338. 541 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 119. 542 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 343. 543 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 136

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 out of room on the recto.544 The point is the scroll is full and more specifically, the prophecies are comprehensive, global, and urgent. Or, as Mounce states, the scroll was “Filled to overflowing and sealed with seven seals to insure the secrecy of its decrees, it contains the full account of what God in his sovereign will has determined as the destiny of the world.”545 iii. Some ancient scrolls featured a summary of the contents featured on the exposed verso of the letter. This idea is unlikely in the case of the scroll mentioned in Revelation since it would make “unsealing unnecessary.”546 c. sealed up with seven seals. i. “According to Roman law certain documents were required to be sealed by seven witnesses, although the idea of seven seals as used here is undoubtedly governed by the symbolic use of the number seven in Revelation and signifies the absolute inviolability of the scroll.”547 ii. “When a scroll was sealed, its contents could not be read by unauthorized readers (cf., Isaiah 29:11; Daniel 12:9).”548 The “purpose of many seals was certainly to keep the contents of the scroll completely secret until it is finally opened.”549 iii. Aune notes, “The motif of sealing with seven seals is an extremely common device in the world of Jewish magic. The Jewish Aramaic incantation bowls occasionally mention the use of ‘seven seals.”550 iv. The seals culturally represent the contents as being “valid, important, and official.”551 “The significance of the seven seals is apparently the impossibility of any unauthorized person gaining access to what has been sealed in such manner, particularly when sealed by God or in the name of God.”552 v. Witherington argues the seven seals suggest perfection or completion as well as a last will and testament.553 d. Interpretation: What does the scroll represent? i. Last Will and Testament554 demonstrating the property rights of the Lamb – “The seven seals have led some scholars to identify the scroll as a testament or will, testamentum (e.g., Zahn, Introduction 3:393-94; 4-6 n. 8; Zahn, 1, 1:341-42; G. Schrenk, TDNT 1:618; Birt, Buchrolle, 243-44; Hadorn, 75; Behn, 34), which is sealed by five or seven witnesses who must eventually attest to its authenticity upon the death of the testator (Kubitschek, “Signum,” PW, 2nd series, 2:2400; B. Kübler, “Testament [juristisch],” PW, 2nd series, 5/1:998-99).”555 See also Randy Richards. See

544 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 119. 545 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 129. 546 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 342. 547 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 129. 548 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 283. 549 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 346. 550 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 346. 551 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 119. 552 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 346. 553 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 120. 554 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 80. 555 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 342. Terry Hughes states, “The CO would sign over the sealed flap of an envelop and the document deliver to the intended 137

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Gaius, Institutes 2. 147, “However, wills which in the beginning were not legally executed, or if they were legally executed afterwards became void, or were revoked, are still not absolutely inoperative; for if they have been sealed with the signets of seven witnesses, the appointed heir can demand possession of the estate in accordance with the provisions of the will, provided the deceased testator was a Roman citizen and his own master at the time of his death; but if the will became inoperative, for example, because the testator lost his citizenship or his freedom, or gave himself in adoption, and he dies under the control of his adoptive father, he cannot demand possession of the estate in accordance with the provisions of the will.”556 ii. A Testamentum Praetorium – A Testament according to Roman Law. “A testament valid according to Roman law (but invalid under civil law). The Praetorian Edict granted BONORUM POSSESSIO SECUNDUM TABULA [The Second Ruling Board] if some of the formalities required ius civile (mancipatio familiae – owner of the family property, nuncupatio – an oral will) had not been observed and a written will was made in the presence of seven witnesses and sealed by them.”557 Aune the “motif of seven seals is used in a variety of contexts and cannot be exclusively linked with the testamentary form.”558 iii. A Book of Redemption - the Lamb’s book of Life. This is difficult because the books (scrolls) content is especially associated with judgments on unbelievers.”559 iv. Military Document – A type of “double document was the diplomata militaria, i.e., ‘military papers,’ with a sealed text on the inside and a readable copy on the outside (Kleine Pauly 3:1300-1301).”560 v. A collection of prophecies or judgment oracles only the Lamb had authority to pronounce and execute – Ben Witherington.561 If Ezekiel and Isaiah form the background on this scroll, then the scroll represents a collection of prophecies setting the stage for a series of unveilings through the rest of the letter of Revelation of which only Jesus, the Lamb, is authorized to issue.562 1. Ezekiel 2:8-10, “8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” 9 Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in

recipient. Documents were transported according to their level of classification. If it was a highly classified document, the document was transported in a locked briefcase. The currier would not know the combination, only the recipient. Sometimes the briefcase would be handcuffed to the currier.” March 4, 2020. 556 https://www.constitution.org/sps/sps01_2-2.htm 557 Berger, Adolf. “Testamentum Praetorium” in The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law (American Philosophical Society, 1968), p. 734. Source: https ://archive.org/details/bub_gb_oR0LAAAAIAAJ/page /n405/mode/2up 558 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 342. 559 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 339. 560 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 342. 561 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 119, 121. 562 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 119. 138

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 it. 10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe.” 2. Isaiah 29:11-12, “11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.” e. Interpretation: What are the contents of the scroll? i. The contents of the scroll “narrates the eschatological punishments inflicted on the world by the will of God.” – Schüssler Fiorenza, CBQ 30 [1968] 564), or that it is essentially identical with what John has been commissioned to write to the seven churches.”563 This is in keeping with Ezekiel 2:8-10, as the background, which points to “lamentations, mourning and woe.”564 See Beale, “a book containing events of the future ‘Great Tribulation.’”565 ii. The contents of the scroll begin to be actualized with the opening of the first seal in 6:1 and extend either to 8:1 (the opening of the seventh seal) or even further into the book.”566 iii. The contents of the scroll “cannot begin to be actualized until all seven seals have been broken, an event that does not occur until 8:1, so that the contents of the scroll are only revealed beginning with 8:2.”567 iv. Some “scholars consider Rev 6:1-22:6 as essentially a transcript of the scroll (Holtz, Christologie, 35).”568 v. It is a “‘book of destiny,’ consisting of God’s predetermined plan for human beings and the world (Caird, 72).”569 vi. The “scroll is the Book of Life referred to frequently in Revelation (3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27), containing the names of the saints (A. Jeremias, Babylonisches, 17).”570 See above. vii. The Book (scroll) should be understood as a covenantal promise of an inheritance when seen in the light of the above two identifications (judgment and redemption) of the ‘book’ and of the broader theological context of the Apocalypse concerning paradise lost and regained (cf., 2:7; 3:12; 22:1-5).571 viii. The scroll is symbolic. Perhaps the book is a general symbol, and, when each seal is opened, aspects of the revealing symbolism of the contents are released.”572

563 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 344. 564 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 343. 565 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 340. 566 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 344. 567 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 344. 568 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 344. 569 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 344-45. 570 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 345. 571 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 340. 572 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 347. 139

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 2 καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν κηρύσσοντα ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Τίς ἄξιος ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ λῦσαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ; a. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, i. Strong angel (ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν). Mounce conjects Gabriel.573 Aune indicates the language of strong angel suggests a “supernatural being relatively high in the angelic hierarchy.”574 ii. Proclaiming (κηρύσσοντα present active participle of κηρύσσω). iii. Loud voice (φωνῇ μεγάλῃ). Mounce posits, “A loud voice is needed because the challenge is sent out to the far reaches of creation.”575 Aune states, this is a “literal translation of the Semitic idiom “with a great voice.”576 iv. This angel “functions as a herald in the heavenly court.”577 b. “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” i. Worthy (ἄξιος) “does not simply mean ‘able’ (i.e., the opposite of one who is unable,’ in v 3), but it means rather ‘qualified’ in the sense of having the proper qualifications to perform this special task.”578 ii. Malina and Pilch state, “‘Worthiness’ is not a moral reference but a social reference. To be ‘worthy’ means to have the appropriate status.”579 iii. The language “open the book and to break its seals” is a “hysteron-proteron (‘last-first’), i.e., the reversal of the logical sequence of events, a figure of speech that occurs several times in Revelation (3:3, 17; 5:5; 6:4; 10:4, 9; 20:4-5, 12-13; 22:14), for surely breaking the seals is the necessary prerequisite for opening the scroll.”580 3. 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 3 καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό. a. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth (see also Rev 5:13). i. This language emphasizes that “nowhere in the entire universe” can a qualified person or angelic being be found.581 ii. This language reveals the impossibility of finding anyone worthy to open the scroll. “All the achievements of all of the priests and prophets of the world do not adequately qualify them for opening this sealed book. Using this dramatic device, the author emphasizes the uniqueness of the conquest of Christ, which he mentions in v 5.”582 iii. See Philippians 2:9-11, “9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,10 so that at the

573 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 130. 574 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 347. 575 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 130. 576 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 347. 577 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 347. 578 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 347. 579 Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 88. 580 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 348. 581 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 348. 582 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 348. 140

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” b. was able to open the book or to look into it. i. The ability to open and read this scroll is based on authority and societal position. Jesus is the Lamb of God. 4. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 4 καὶ ἐγὼ ἔκλαιον πολὺ ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄξιος εὑρέθη ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό· a. Then I began to weep greatly i. Weep (ἔκλαιον imperfect active indicative of κλαίω). b. because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; i. Found (εὑρέθη aorist passive indicative of εὑρίσκω). 5. 5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” καὶ εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγει μοι· Μὴ κλαῖε· ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ, ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ. a. and one of the elders said to me, i. Hermeneutic test: If the elders are the twelve tribal figureheads of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles of the New Testament, than what do we make of the reference that an elder counsels John to stop weeping? Cf., the revelatory perspectives of what was, what is, and what is to come in the text. ii. Witherington argues, “John is consoled by one of the elders (a further clue that the elders are representatives of humankind) for there is one who is worthy to open the scroll and look inside – the Lion of the tribe of Judah who is also called the Root of David.”583 b. “Stop weeping; behold, Μὴ κλαῖε (κλαῖε present active imperative of κλαίω) i. Simply put, when we behold the fullness and cosmic significance of what Christ has accomplished for his children, there is a time to stop weeping about certain things. c. the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, i. Notice the grace associated with this descriptor. d. the Root of David, i. Notice the grace associated with this descriptor. e. has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” i. Overcome (ἐνίκησεν aorist active indicative of νικάω). ii. See John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 6. 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 6 Καὶ εἶδον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀρνίον ἑστηκὸς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον, ἔχων κέρατα ἑπτὰ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑπτά, οἵ εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀπεσταλμένοι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. a. A Lamb stand, as if slain,

583 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 120. 141

NOUTHETICS 1. It is striking that God’s scroll contains global decrees initiating his cosmic sovereignty and yet, he has another scroll for the individual whose days are preordained and ordered. God cares for the cosmos as well as His individual child.584 a. Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” b. Matthew 2. The actual cause of John’s weeping is a bit curious. Regarding symbolism and the interpretation of the twenty four elders, if one set of twelve represents the twelve apostles, then John, as an apostle, would already understand who has authority to open the scroll. And yet, the purpose of apocalyptic is revelatory and therefore we should not take issue with John’s apparent lack of discernment. The scene intentionally acts out the dramatic perspective that all the world will be judged and the only hope for believers is the Lamb who was slain. 3. Again, grace is depicted in the courtroom-throne room of heaven. The Lamb is described as a Descendent of David, the same David who wrote Psalm 51.

584 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 129. 142

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 5:6-10 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. Καὶ εἶδον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀρνίον ἑστηκὸς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον, ἔχων κέρατα ἑπτὰ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑπτά, οἵ εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀπεσταλμένοι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. a. And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders i. I saw (εἶδον aorist active indicative of ὁράω), John is writing from a past tense perspective. ii. Between/in the midst of (ἐν μέσῳ). How should we interpret ἐν μέσῳ? 1. Interpretive option 1: ἐν μέσῳ can refer to a position in the middle of an area and means “‘in the middle’ or ‘in the midst,’”585 implying the Lamb is at the center of everything in the heavenly throne room/court room. Cf., the possible translation by BAGD, 570, “on the center of the throne and among the four living creatures.”586 2. Interpretive option 2: ἐν μέσῳ can refer to “an interval between two things, and so can mean that the position of the Lamb is ‘between’ the throne and the four cherubim, on the one hand, and the elders on the other.

585 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 351. 586 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 351. 143

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 3. Interpretive option 3: ἐν μέσῳ can refer to “a position with an area occupied by other objects and mean ‘among, with.’”587 This view is adopted by Aune. b. a Lamb standing, as if slain, i. A Lamb (ἀρνίον noun nominative). “The term ἀρνίον occurs twenty-nine in Revelation (all references to Jesus with the exception of 13:11).”588 1. This is the first reference to a lamb in Revelation and certainly the first reference to the Lamb as a depiction of Jesus. This is of deep significance. 2. John could have described in with the same terms we see in Revelation 1:12-20, “12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” 3. Witherington, quoting Caird, states, “When John looks, he sees not a lion but a lamb, the slain Lamb of God. Caird is right…God achieves his purpose of overthrowing the powers of evil through the slain lamb and his death on the cross. ‘Jesus conquered not by force but by death, not by violence but by martyrdom. The Lion is the Lamb!’”589 4. Malina and Pilch posit this a cosmic reference to the constellation Ares.590 ii. As if slain (ἐσφαγμένον perfect passive participle of σφάζω) c. having seven horns and seven eyes,

587 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 352. 588 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 352. 589 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 120, citing G. B. Caird, Revelation (1998), pp.72-73. 590 Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 89. 144

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Witherington states the seven horns are a complete and perfect “symbol of strength and the seven eyes are a complete and perfect “symbol of omniscience.”591 Wilson notes, “Horns are a biblical metaphor for power.”592 See also Psalm 75:10. The Lamb is in absolutely complete power and authority. ii. This is striking because the language blends descriptors for both a lamb and a ram. A lamb in that ἀρνίον is a “diminutive of ἀρήν and so literally means little sheep.”593 And yet, this little lamb has seven horns, an obvious descriptor of a ram. John is “conveying a deliberate paradox. The lamb is vulnerable and is slain, but the lamb is strong like a ram as well.”594 d. which are the seven Spirits of God, i. Who are or what are the seven Spirits? Witherington states, “According to Revelation 5:6 the seven spirits are something Jesus sent throughout the earth and are to be equated with the Lamb’s seven eyes. At Revelation 4:5 they are equated with the blazing lamps. At Revelation 3:1 they are associated with the seven stars, which we have already been told are the angels of the seven churches. The reference is to the angels who are the eyes of the great King, keeping watch over the church for the Lamb.”595 ii. Witherington states, “The angels/spirits of the churches are the eyes of the Lamb in the churches and in all the earth.”596 1. See usage: a. Revelation 1:4-5, “4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” b. Revelation 3:1-2, “1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” c. Revelation 4:5, “5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;” d. Revelation 5:6, “And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” e. sent out into all the earth.

591 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 120. 592 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 285. 593 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 120. 594 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 120-21. 595 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 75. 596 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 121. 145

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Are the seven Spirits on patrol and report back to God their reconnaissance work? Yes. The churches are the discerning and ministering presence of God. ii. The church of Jesus Christ is on mission to be the heart and eyes of Jesus. 2. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 7 καὶ ἦλθεν καὶ εἴληφεν ἐκ τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου. a. Took (εἴληφεν perfect active indicative of λαμβάνω). b. Beale urges understanding of the use of symbolism here. “It is inappropriate to ask the question about how a lamb mechanically can take a book out of someone’s hand, open it, and read it (5:4, 7) or how each elder is able simultaneously to hold a harp (and play it?) and bowls of incense. Perhaps the book is a general symbol, and, when each seal is opened, aspects of the revealing symbolism of the contents are released.”597 3. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 8 καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβεν τὸ βιβλίον, τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, ἔχοντες ἕκαστος κιθάραν καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων· a. When He had taken the book, b. the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, i. Fell down (ἔπεσαν aorist active indicative of πίπτω). ii. What is the significance of posture in worship? What is the relationship between axiological understanding of the Lamb and posture in worship? c. each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, 0which are the prayers of the saints. i. Harps refers to worship ii. Incense to the prayers of the saints. 4. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 9 καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· Ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους, a. And they sang a new song, saying, b. “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; i. Worthy (Ἄξιος adjective nominative). Axiology is the discipline of forming values and making judgments of values based on well reasoned assessments. c. for You were slain, i. Were slain (ἐσφάγης aorist passive indicative of σφάζω). ii. This is a reference to the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” d. and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

597 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 347. 146

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Purchased (ἠγόρασας aorist active indicative of ἀγοράζω). Wilson notes, “ἀγοράζω is a term of the public marketplace. Every Greco-Roman city had a marketplace called the agora, or forum, where slaves would be bought and sold. Here the metaphor of the slave auction is used to describe Christ’s spiritual purchase of individuals for God (cf., Rev 14:4).”598 ii. Tribe and tongue: See Matthew 28:18-20. 5. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” 10 καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. a. “You have made them i. Made (ἐποίησας aorist active indicative of ποιέω, see usage at Ephesians 2:10). ii. b. to be a kingdom and priests to our God; c. and they will reign upon the earth.” i. Will reign/shall reign (βασιλεύουσιν future active indicative of βασιλεύω). ii. 6. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Posture in worship reveals axiology.

598 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 286. 147

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 5:11-14 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

11 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων, 12 λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Ἄξιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένον λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν.13 καὶ πᾶν κτίσμα ὃ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα, ἤκουσα λέγοντας· Τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. 14 καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα ἔλεγον· Ἀμήν. καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν καὶ προσεκύνησαν.

INTRODUCTION 1. Identifying the hymns in Revelation 5:11-14 a. 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, i. Hymn: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” b. 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, i. Hymn: “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” c. 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped. 2. “The adoration of the Lamb moves out in ever widening circles. Now it is the innumerable host of angels who life their voices in a great doxology of praise.”599 3. Malina and Pilch posit, “The vision continues with the sound of God’s total entourage cosmically proclaiming the fact that the Lamb indeed has the proper ascribed status for total honor.”600 4. Scholars argue that Daniel 7:9-14, is in the background of Revelation 5. Notice the parallels: a. 9 “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. b. 10 “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.

599 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 137. 600 Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 93. 148

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 c. 11 Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. d. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. e. 13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. f. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.” 5. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 11 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων, a. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne i. Then I looked (εἶδον aorist active indicative first person of ὁράω). ii. I heard (ἤκουσα aorist active indicative first person of ἀκούω iii. Voice of many angels 1. Voice (φωνὴν accusative feminine of φωνή). 2. Mounce demonstrates “the voice is that of angels only. The genitives τῶν ζῴων and τῶν πρεσβυτέρων are parallel to τοῦ θρόνου and are determined by κύκλῳ used as a preposition (BAGD, 457). It is unnecessary for Charles to bracket the phrase as a gloss (1.148).”601 iv. Around the throne b. and the living creatures and the elders; c. and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, i. Daniel 7:10 is in the background here. See also 1 En. 40:1; 60:1; 71:8.602 ii. Mounce posits, “Their number is not to be taken arithmetically but as an apocalyptic symbol for a countless multitude. Or, as Jurgen Roloff puts it, ‘a circumlocution for an incalculably great throng.’”603 A circumlocution is a round about way of saying something, “a phrase that circles around a specific idea with multiple words rather than directly evoking it with fewer and apter words.”604 In the case of John’s writing, the language of myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, is used to cast imagery and meaning to the extremes in an attempt to get at the cosmic worth and glory Jesus, the Lamb, truly deserves.

601 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 137, n 37. 602 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 364. 603 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 137, n 38, 604 http s://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumlocution 149

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iii. 2. 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 12 λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Ἄξιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένον λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν. a. saying with a loud voice, b. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain i. Worthy (Ἄξιόν adjective nominative singular of ἄξιος). 1. Why is the Lamb worthy? “The hymn in these verses underscores the point of the hm in vv. 11-12 by further interpreting the slain but risen Lamb’s reception of the book [scroll] to mean that his death and resurrection made him ‘worthy’ to receive praise and glory.” 2. Aune argues, “Here the quality of ἄξιος is generalized as the qualification of the Lamb to be the recipient of a complex list of qualities such as those ascribed to benefactors” [see patron-client relationships in the honor-shame Greco-Roman world].605 For example, “Josephus (J. W. 7.4.1) reports that the newly recognized emperor Vespasian was greeted upon his entrance to Rome by crowds of people calling him ‘benefactor and savior and the only worthy ruler of Rome.’”606 a. Josephus reports: 1. AND now Titus Caesar, upon the news that was brought him concerning his father, that his coming was much desired by all the Italian cities, and that Rome especially received him with great alacrity and splendor, betook himself to rejoicing and pleasures to a great degree, as now freed from the solicitude he had been under, after the most agreeable manner. For all men that were in Italy showed their respects to him in their minds before he came thither, as if he were already come, as esteeming the very expectation they had of him to be his real presence, on account of the great desires they had to see him, and because the good-will they bore him was entirely free and unconstrained; for it was, desirable thing to the senate, who well remembered the calamities they had undergone in the late changes of their governors, to receive a governor who was adorned with the gravity of old age, and with the highest skill in the actions of war, whose advancement would be, as they knew, for nothing else but for the preservation of those that were to be governed. Moreover, the people had been so harassed by their civil miseries, that they were still more earnest for his coming immediately, as supposing they should then be firmly delivered from their calamities, and believed they should then recover their secure tranquillity and prosperity; and for the soldiery, they had the principal regard to him, for they were chiefly apprized of his great

605 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 364. 606 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 364. 150

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 exploits in war; and since they had experienced the want of skill and want of courage in other commanders, they were very desirous to be free from that great shame they had undergone by their means, and heartily wished to receive such a prince as might be a security and an ornament to them. And as this good-will to Vespasian was universal, those that enjoyed any remarkable dignities could not have patience enough to stay in Rome, but made haste to meet him at a very great distance from it; nay, indeed, none of the rest could endure the delay of seeing him, but did all pour out of the city in such crowds, and were so universally possessed with the opinion that it was easier and better for them to go out than to stay there, that this was the very first time that the city joyfully perceived itself almost empty of its citizens; for those that staid within were fewer than those that went out. But as soon as the news was come that he was hard by, and those that had met him at first related with what good humor he received every one that came to him, then it was that the whole multitude that had remained in the city, with their wives and children, came into the road, and waited for him there; and for those whom he passed by, they made all sorts of acclamations, on account of the joy they had to see him, and the pleasantness of his countenance, and styled him their Benefactor and Savior, and the only person who was worthy to be ruler of the city of Rome. And now the city was like a temple, full of garlands and sweet odors; nor was it easy for him to come to the royal palace, for the multitude of the people that stood about him, where yet at last he performed his sacrifices of thanksgiving to his household gods for his safe return to the city. The multitude did also betake themselves to feasting; which feasts and drink- offerings they celebrated by their tribes, and their families, and their neighborhoods, and still prayed God to grant that Vespasian, his sons, and all their posterity, might continue in the Roman government for a very long time, and that his dominion might be preserved from all opposition. And this was the manner in which Rome so joyfully received Vespasian, and thence grew immediately into a state of great prosperity.607 ii. Is (ἐστιν present active indicative third person of εἰμί). 1. “Corresponding to their position outside the inner circles of the cherubim and the elders, the angels do not address the Lamb directly. Their sevenfold ascription of praise is in the third person and antiphonal to the elder’s hymn of redemption.”608

607 http s://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/war-7.htm 608 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 137. 151

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 c. to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” i. Notice the syndetonic form. Aune states, “The seven substantives connected by constitute a rhetorical feature called polysyndeton.”609 ii. Beale, citing D. H. Milling, argues, “1 Chronicles 29:11-12 stands behind the combination of [the seven attributes] with wisdom being drawn from Daniel 2:20.”610 iii. Aune states, “All of these prerogatives reflect the royal investitures of the king and strongly suggest that the list of prerogatives in Rev 5:12 reflects the investiture of the Lamb.”611 iv. Furthermore, Aune indicates, “Each of the sever prerogatives is a metaphorical application to Christ of qualities that belong properly to God but may be bestowed on the king by God.”612 v. Mounce argues John is stylistically expanding the attributes of Jesus in an unfolding of his full character. “The increase from three attributes in 4:9-11 to four in 5:13 and to seven in 5:12; 7:12 is stylistic and reflects the tendency of the Apocalypse toward progressive expansion. That all seven are governed by one article indicates that they are to be taken as a single unit.” I question Mounce’s stylistic assessment since the sequence isn’t consistent with the view. John is adding more and more detail to the essence and magnitude of the worth of the Lamb. 1. (3 attributes) Revelation 4:9 a. Glory b. Honor c. Thanks 2. (3 attributes) Revelation 4:11 a. Glory b. Honor c. Power 3. (7 attributes) Revelation 5:12613 a. Power – a synonym for might (4) and refer to strength and can be considered together.614 b. Riches – Wealth is “frequently associated with kingship (cf., Rev 18:17), but in the OT it is never directly attributed to God as part of the kingship metaphor.”615 c. Wisdom – Wisdom is consider something God gifts to the king616 whose heart is obedient to him, cf., Solomon. d. Might – see (1). e. Honor -

609 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 364. 610 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 364. 611 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 365. 612 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 365. 613 See 1 Cor 1:24; 2 Cor 8-9; Eph 3:8; Luke 11:22; Phil 2:11; John 1:14; Romans 15:29. 614 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 365. 615 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 365. 616 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 365. 152

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 f. Glory – Used elsewhere is Rev of God alone (4:11; 7:12; 19:1). g. Blessing/praise – (εὐλογία) is applied to God alone in Rev 4:11; 7:12. The term εὐλογία occurs about sixty times in the LXX as a translation the Hebrew beraka “blessing.”617

4. (4 attributes) Revelation 5:13 a. Blessing b. Honor c. Glory d. Dominion 5. (7 attributes) Revelation 7:12 a. Blessing b. Glory c. Wisdom d. Thanksgiving e. Honor f. Power g. Might d. Other 3. 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 13 καὶ πᾶν κτίσμα ὃ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα, ἤκουσα λέγοντας· Τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. a. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, i. Notice the syndetonic form. ii. Beale is correct when he posits regarding the universality of this praise, “If it represents universal praise in an absolute sense, then it issues not only from God’s willing subjects but also from his opponents, who will be fored into submission (as in Phil 2:10-11; Col 1:20).”618 b. I heard saying, c. “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion i. Notice the syndetonic form. ii. Beale suggests 5:13 may be a “collective reflection of Exodus 20:11, Psalm 146: 6; and Nehemiah 9:6, in which God is praised as Creator of his manifold creation and as the king of Israel, who has delivered his people from bondage.”619 d. forever and ever.”

617 Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1997), p. 366. 618 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 365. 619 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 366. 153

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 4. 14 And the four living creatures (Cherubim) kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped. 14 καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα ἔλεγον· Ἀμήν. καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν καὶ προσεκύνησαν. a. And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” b. And the elders fell down and worshiped. i. By implication, the elders stood up on their feet and upon hearing the antiphonal worship of the innumerable angels, they fell down and worshiped yet again. This is to only option when the fullness of the true nature of Christ is revealed. 5. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Beale states, “Revelation 5:9-12 and 5:13 are good examples respectively of ‘already’ and ‘not yet’ time reference of chapters 4-5.”620 2. This scene around the throne is “so extravagant that the number of its participants is incalculable. Similar descriptions of angels in heaven in Daniel 7:10 and Hebrews 12:22 suggest it is impossible to count them.”621 3. The seven attributes of the Lamb are not dissimilar to David’s ascription to God in 1 Chronicles 29:11, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.” a. Why can’t we humans on earth hear heavenly music? According to M. Tullius Cicero,622 based on his work, De Republica (On the Republic) Book VI (Scipio's Dream), we read the following in Book VI.18-19, i. 18 When I had recovered myself from the astonishment occasioned by such a wonderful prospect, I thus addressed Africanus Pray what is this sound that strikes my ears in so loud and agreeable a manner? To which he replied It is that which is called the music of the spheres, being produced by their motion and impulse; and being formed by unequal intervals, but such as are divided according to the most just proportion, it produces, by duly tempering acute with grave sounds, various concerts of harmony. For it is impossible that motions so great should be performed without any noise; and it is agreeable to nature that the extremes on one side should produce sharp, and on the other flat sounds. For which reason the sphere of the fixed stars, being the highest, and being carried with a more rapid velocity, moves with a shrill and acute sound; whereas that of the moon, being the lowest,

620 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 365. 621 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 287. 622 An introduction to the Cicero (Marcus Tullius, 106–43 BCE). Cicero, Roman lawyer, orator, politician and philosopher, of whom we know more than of any other Roman, lived through the stirring era which saw the rise, dictatorship, and death of Julius Caesar in a tottering republic. In his political speeches especially and in his correspondence we see the excitement, tension and intrigue of politics and the part he played in the turmoil of the time. Of about 106 speeches, delivered before the Roman people or the Senate if they were political, before jurors if judicial, 58 survive (a few of them incompletely). In the fourteenth century Petrarch and other Italian humanists discovered manuscripts containing more than 900 letters of which more than 800 were written by Cicero and nearly 100 by others to him. These afford a revelation of the man all the more striking because most were not written for publication. Six rhetorical works survive and another in fragments. Philosophical works include seven extant major compositions and a number of others; and some lost. There is also poetry, some original, some as translations from the Greek.” Source: https://www.loebclassics.com/view/LCL213/1928/volume.xml 154

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 moves with a very flat one. As to the Earth, which makes the ninth sphere, it remains immovably fixed in the middle or lowest part of the universe. But those eight revolving circles, in which both Mercury and Venus are moved with the same celerity, give out sounds that are divided by seven distinct intervals, which is generally the regulating number of all things. This celestial harmony has been imitated by learned musicians, both on stringed instruments and with the voice, whereby they have opened to themselves a way to return to the celestial regions, as have likewise many others who have employed their sublime genius while on earth in cultivating the divine sciences. By the amazing noise of this sound, the ears of mankind have been in some degree deafened, and indeed, hearing is the dullest of all the human senses. Thus, the people who dwell near the cataracts of the Nile, which are called Catadupa, are, by the excessive roar which that river makes in precipitating itself from those lofty mountains, entirely deprived of the sense of hearing. And so inconceivably great is this sound which is produced by the rapid motion of the whole universe, that the human ear is no more capable of receiving it, than the eye is able to look steadfastly and directly on the sun, whose beams easily dazzle the strongest sight. While I was busied in admiring the scene of wonders, I could not help casting my eyes every now and then on the earth. ii. 19. On which Africanus said, I perceive that you are still employed in contemplating the seat and residence of mankind. But if it appears to you so small, as in fact it really is, despise its vanities, and fix your attention for ever on these heavenly objects. Is it possible that you should attain any human applause or glory that is worth the contending for? The earth, you see, is peopled but in a very few places, and those too of small extent; and they appear like so many little spots of green scattered through vast uncultivated deserts. And those who inhabit the earth are not only so remote from each other as to be cut off from all mutual correspondence, but their situation being in oblique or contrary parts of the globe, or perhaps in those diametrically opposite to yours, all expectation of universal fame must fall to the ground.623 4. Why would Revelation 5:11-14, be comforting to these struggling churches in Asia Minor? a. The ascriptions given to God and the Lamb exceed anything that could be said of any leader in the Greco-Roman world. Even the most famous and beloved emperors of Rome, are absolutely nothing in comparison to the glory and power of the Lamb. b. If this is the true nature of God and if this is the true nature of the Lamb Jesus, then if they bow in kindness to care for flowers and birds, certainly they will care for Christians struggling to survive and maintain faith in a culture of persecution. c. If they bow down in kindness to care for flowers and birds, certainly they will for us. See Matthew 6:25-34, i. “25 For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor

623 https://constitution.org/rom/republica6.htm 155

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 5. Other

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 6 INTRODUCTION 1. When interpreting the Book of Revelation, always hold in tension the historical past and the eschatological future. 2. Witherington states, “Revelation 4-5 have prepared the way for the threefold set of seven judgments in Revelation 6-16.”624 a. Seven Seals – Rev 6:1-17; 8:2 i. Interlude of several unnumbered judgments625 – Rev 7:1-17. b. Seven Trumpets – Rev 8:3-9:21; 11:15-19. i. Interlude A of several unnumbered judgments – Rev 10:1-11:14. Witherington suggests the interlude judgments represent a “more intensified or wide-angle version of the judgments.”626 ii. Interlude B - Rev 12-15:8. c. Seven Bowls of Wrath – Rev 16:1-21. 3. Mounce notes, “the seven seals of chapter 6 divide into two groups of four and three (a pattern that is continued in the trumpets (chapters 8-9) and in the bowls (chapter 16).”627 4. Citing Caird, Witherington notes, “Caird argues a version of the recapitulation theory, which suggests that we do not have three sets of seven judgments presented sequentially (for a total of twenty-one judgments presented in chronological order), but all three series present the entire process of judgment leading up to and culminating it the end of human history.”628 5. Witherington argues the recapitulation theory is “not entirely correct. One could say these sets of seven overlap, with the second set beginning before the end of the first and then carrying things further, and the third picking up in the midst of the second set and carrying things even further.”629 6. Bauckham, cited by Witherington, “pointed out that all three sets of sevens conclude with the same final judgment reached in the seventh of each of the three series. This is demonstrated by the repeated use of the terms thunder, lightning, earthquake, and heavy hail in varying order at 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; and 16:18-21. This phrase is an echo of Exodus 19:16. ‘The seven seal-openings are linked to the seven trumpets by the technique of overlapping or interweaving.’”630 7. The “whole sequence of bowls is a development of the seventh trumpet, and the three woes are identical with the judgments inaugurated by the last three trumpets. In other words, there is recapitulation to a degree, but there is also interweaving and development in these sets of sevens as well.” 8. “Whatever is the case, the three sets of sevens end at the same place – the culmination of history.”631 9. The use of recapitulation or repetition is in keeping with rhetorical convention in John’s world featuring a focus on forensics, i.e., justice, and the repeating of the same argument from differing perspectives according to the Rhetorica ad Herrennium, 4.42-54, ‘ We do

624 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129. 625 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129. 626 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129. 627 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 140. 628 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129. 629 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129. 630 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129, citing Richard Bauckham, Climax of Prophecy (1993), pp. 8-9. 631 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 130. 157

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 not repeat the same things precisely – for that to be sure, would weary the hearer and not elaborate the idea – but with changes.’”632 10. The point, so to speak, “the world is living on borrowed time.”633

REVELATION 6 1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 1 Καὶ εἶδον ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὸ ἀρνίον μίαν ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ σφραγίδων, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων λέγοντος ὡς φωνῇ βροντῆς· Ἔρχου. 2 καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἔχων τόξον, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ στέφανος, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν νικῶν καὶ ἵνα νικήσῃ.

INTRODUCTION 1. Many scholars find coterminity between Revelation 6 and the apocalyptic materials in the Synoptics. Consider the following by Wilson demonstrating the material in these gospels as the backstory of John’s writing: 2. When interpreting the Book of Revelation, always hold in tension the historical past and the eschatological future. 3. Wilson states, “Only one person is authorized to open the heavenly scroll, and the victorious Lamb now breaks each of its seals, one by one.”634 4. “The living creatures take turns inviting John to look at fours horsemen who are released at the unfastening of the first four seals.”635 a. Who are the Four Horsemen i. Interpretation 1: They represent forces of God operating in judgment throughout history”636 ii. Interpretation 2: They represent actual angelic figures (warrior class angels). iii. Interpretation 3: The white horse is more obscure than the last three. “The last three horsemen are typically seen as evil agents”637 Or as Wilson states, “The troika of seals 2 through 4 – war, famine, and death – is often portrayed together as instruments of divine judgment in the Prophets, cf., Jeremiah 14:12; Ezek 6:11-12; 12:16).”638 b. Other 5. Zechariah 1:7-11 (cf., 6:1-8), is a part of the Jewish background to John’s writing. Mounce notes, “In Zechariah they are sent out to patrol the earth, while in Revelation their release brings disasters to the earth.”639 a. Zechariah 1:7-11, “7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: 8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel (reddish-brown)

632 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 130. 633 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 131. 634 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 288. 635 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 288. 636 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 140. 637 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 375. 638 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 289. 639 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 140. 158

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 and white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” 11 So they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.” 6. Wilson argues, “While the scroll itself represents the broader destiny of humanity, the seals appear to represent a specific historical period, from the ascension of Jesus to the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 30-70). This is suggested by the close correlation between the first six seals and Jesus prediction of events to be fulfilled with a generation (see ‘False Christs’). By opening the first seal, Jesus precipitates the apocalyptic situation prophesied in the Synoptics and whose fulfillment is now seen in Revelation. The ‘birth pains’ have indeed begun (Matthew 24:8).”640 a. See Luke 21:7-19, “7 They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. 9 When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.” 10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13 It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18 Yet not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.” 7. See comparison chart below of Revelation 6 and the Synoptics.

640 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 288. 159

False Christ 6:2 False Christs 24:4-5 Wars 6:3-4 Wars 24:6-7 Famine 6:5-6 Famines 24:7 Pestilence 6:7-8 Earthquakes 24:7 Persecution 6:9-11 Persecutions 24:9-10 Earthquake, solar eclipse, Solar & lunar eclipse, stars falling, ensanguinal moon, stars falling 6:12- heavenly bodies shaken 24:29 13 Son of Man appears 24:30

REVELATION 6 MARK 13

False Christ 6:2 False Christs 13:6, 22 Wars 6:3-4 Wars 13:7-8 Famine 6:5-6 Earthquakes 13:8 Pestilence 6:7-8 Famines 13:8 Persecution 6:9-11 Persecutions 13:9, 11-13 Earthquake, solar eclipse, Gospel preached to all nations 13:10 ensanguinal moon, stars falling 6:12- Abomination of Desolation and great 13 tribulation 13:14-23

REVELATION 6 LUKE 21

False Christ 6:2 Wars 21:10 Wars 6:3-4 Earthquakes 21:11 Famine 6:5-6 Plagues 21:11 Pestilence 6:7-8 Famines 21:11 Persecution 6:9-11 Terrors and great signs from heaven Earthquake, solar eclipse, 21:11 ensanguinal moon, stars falling 6:12- Persecutions 21:12-19 13 Desolation as Roman invasion 21:20- Cf., Rev 6:16; 9:6 24 Signs in sun, moon, stars, seas 21:25 Heavenly powers shaken 21:26 Return of the Son of Man 21:27-28

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 EXEGESIS 1. 1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 1 Καὶ εἶδον ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὸ ἀρνίον μίαν ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ σφραγίδων, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων λέγοντος ὡς φωνῇ βροντῆς· Ἔρχου. a. 1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, i. Mounce is on point, regarding Jesus the Lamb, “He alone is worthy to set into motion those events that will bring about the culmination of human history.”641 b. and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” i. “Many copyists of the Greek manuscripts understood this to be a summons to John to come and behold the sequel to the breaking of the seal, and so they added the words, ‘and see.’ The AV follows this inaccurate rendering. However, the best Greek texts contain only the summons, ‘Come.’ The late variant is also found in verses 3, 5, 7.”642 ii. This is “an invitation to the Seer,” John.643 2. 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 2 καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἔχων τόξον, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ στέφανος, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν νικῶν καὶ ἵνα νικήσῃ. a. I looked, and behold, a white horse, i. Beale states, “in Revelation each color is clearly metaphorical for the respective plague delivered by each horsemen: white for conquest, red for bloodshed, black for famine, and pale green for death.”644 b. and he who sat on it had a bow; i. War bow. c. and a crown was given to him, i. The crown symbolizes authorization. d. and he went out conquering and to conquer. i. Conquering (νικῶν present active participle of νικάω). ii. Conquer (νικήσῃ aorist active subjunctive of νικάω). iii. Wilson argues the white horse symbolizes victory.645 Or, military conquest according to Mounce.646 e. Who is the Rider on the White Horse? i. Interpretation 1: Jesus. 1. “Interpreters beginning with Irenaeus (Adv. Haer 4.21.3) have understood the cavalier in 6:2a as Christ.”647

641 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 140-41. 642 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 96. 643 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 141. 644 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 372. 645 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 288. 646 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 140. 647 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 393. Note: “3. If any one, again, will look into Jacob's actions, he shall find them not destitute of meaning, but full of import with regard to the dispensations. Thus, in the first place, at his birth, since he laid hold on his brother's heel, he was called Jacob, that is, the supplanter-one who holds, but is not held; binding the feet, but not being bound; striving and 162

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Revelation 19:11-16 “might suggest that the cavalier here in 6:2, like the cavalier there, is the Messiah.”648 3. According to Ladd, the argument that Jesus is the rider on the white horse is “supported by the fact that, unlike the second to the fourth seals, the first has no woe attached to it.”649 4. Aune acknowledges that it is difficult to see Jesus as the rider on the white horse since it is the Lamb who is breaking the seal.650 ii. Interpretation 2: The conquering Gospel going forth. 1. Zahn, 2:352-53. iii. Interpretation 3: Symbolic representation of the conquering sovereignty of God and His kingdom coming to rescue the suffering saints. 1. Celestial cavaliers are “widely understood in the Greco-Roman world as a savior who delivers people from various types of trouble, e.g., the Dioscuri, Heron the Thracian cavalier god, Horus or Mithras.”651 iv. Interpretation 4: A veiled reference to the Parthians beyond the eastern boundaries of the Roman Empire (cf., archery and white horses). Arguments for the Parthian reference include: 1. “We seem to have allusions to these dreaded cavalrymen elsewhere in Revelation (9:14; 16:12).”652 Mounce suggests this first seal refers to “invasion from without.”653

conquering; grasping in his hand his adversary's heel, that is, victory. For to this end was the Lord born, the type of whose birth he set forth beforehand, of whom also John says in the Apocalypse: "He went forth conquering, that He should conquer." In the next place, [Jacob] received the rights of the first-born, when his brother looked on them with contempt; even as also the younger nation received Him, Christ, the first-begotten, when the elder nation rejected Him, saying, "We have no king but Caesar." But in Christ every blessing [is summed up], and therefore the latter people has snatched away the blessings of the former from the Father, just as Jacob took away the blessing of this Esau. For which cause his brother suffered the plots and persecutions of a brother, just as the Church suffers this self-same thing from the Jews. In a foreign country were the twelve tribes born, the race of Israel, inasmuch as Christ was also, in a strange country, to generate the twelve-pillared foundation of the Church. Various coloured sheep were allotted to this Jacob as his wages; and the wages of Christ are human beings, who from various and diverse nations come together into one cohort of faith, as the Father promised Him, saying, "Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." And as from the multitude of his sons the prophets of the Lord [afterwards] arose, there was every necessity that Jacob should beget sons from the two sisters, even as Christ did from the two laws of one and the same Father; and in like manner also from the handmaids, indicating that Christ should raise up sons of God, both from freemen and from slaves after the flesh, bestowing upon all, in the same manner, the gift of the Spirit, who vivifies us. But he (Jacob) did all things for the sake of the younger, she who had the handsome eyes, Rachel, who prefigured the Church, for which Christ endured patiently; who at that time, indeed, by means of His patriarchs and prophets, was prefiguring and declaring beforehand future things, fulfilling His part by anticipation in the dispensations of God, and accustoming His inheritance to obey God, and to pass through the world as in a state of pilgrimage, to follow His word, and to indicate beforehand things to come. For with God there is nothing without purpose or due signification.” Source: http ://www.earlychristianwritings.com/ text/irenaeus-book4.html 648 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 393. 649 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 98. 650 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 393. 651 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 394. 652 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 133. 653 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 143. 163

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. “Parthians where famous for their horses, and white was the Parthians’ sacred color, and every one of their armies included some sacred white horses.”654 3. “Parthians were known for being highly skillful mounted archers.”655 4. “The Romans most often feared the Parthians as a threat to the Pax Romana.”656 And according to Mounce, this is not without historical basis. Note, “In A.D. 62 Vologeses had won an unprecedented victory over a Roman army. This unnerved the West and led them to fear an all-out invasion.”657 5. “Many Jewish writers expected Parthians to play a role in the eschatological war against Rome (cf., 1 Enoch 56.5-7; Sib. Or. 5.438 [cf., 585-595].”658 a. 1 Enoch 56.5-7, (Second century BC – first century AD) “5 And in those days the angels shall return And hurl themselves to the east upon the Parthians and Medes: They shall stir up the kings, so that a spirit of unrest shall come upon them, And they shall rouse them from their thrones, That they may break forth as lions from their lairs, And as hungry wolves among their flocks. 6 And they shall go up and tread under foot the land of His elect ones [And the land of His elect ones shall be before them a threshing-floor and a highway :] 7 But the city of my righteous shall be a hindrance to their horses. And they shall begin to fight among themselves, And their right hand shall be strong against themselves, And a man shall not know his brother,

654 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 133. 655 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 133. 656 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 133. 657 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 142 . 658 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 133. The Sibylline Oracles, “ The Sibylline Oracles had a long life. The Sibyl was in origin a single Greek prophetess, renowned for the accuracy of her forecasts, divinely inspired, but portrayed as mad or raving, and regularly spewing forth dire forebodings. Additional Sibyls gradually sprang up in a variety of locations in the Mediterranean world, including the renowned Cumaean Sibyl whom Aeneas reputedly consulted. Sibylline prophecies were eventually collected in written form in Rome and used by Roman authorities to provide interpretation of unusual prodigies or natural disasters or to offer advice on significant matters of foreign entanglements and wars. Although that collection (insofar as it is historical) has long since disappeared, the voice of the Sibyl was reproduced in literary form. The extant Sibylline verses, composed in Homeric Greek hexameters, constitute twelve books of oracles, fashioned over a period of several centuries by numerous different and no longer identifiable hands. They constitute a motley assemblage of grim forecasts, historical references, apocalyptic visions, and denunciations of various peoples, especially Romans, for their abandonment of piety and indulgence in evil. The genre was appropriated by anonymous Jewish authors, speaking through the voice of the Sibyl, and employed to convey condemnation of cities and nations for the sins of idolatry, licentiousness, and a range of vices. Vivid portrayals of the end time and eschatological conflagration feature many of the texts. Subsequent Christian writers interpolated verses, added exaltations of Christ, and appropriated Sibylline pronouncements for their own ends. Others manipulated the oracles to record historical personages and events in the framework of prophetic pronouncements. The result was a complex and unsystematic compilation of reconstructed or fabricated prophecies ascribed to Sibyls but largely representing the ingenuity of Jewish and Christian compilers.” Source: http s://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e- 8134 164

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Nor a son his father or his mother, Till there be no number of the corpses through their slaughter, And their punishment be not in vain.”659 b. Sibylline Oracle660 5.585-595, “585 And city of all cities, thou no more Shalt lie in golden mountains and by streams Of the Euphrates; thou shalt be laid low By rout of earthquake. But the Parthians dire Caused thee to stiffer all things. Hold thou fast 590 Thy unknown speech, impure Chaldean race; Ask not nor be concerned how thou shalt lead The Persians or how thou shalt rule the Medes; For on account of thy supremacy, Which thou hadst, sending hostages to Rome 595 And serving Asia, thou that formerly Didst also think thyself a queen, shalt come Unto the judgment of antagonists, Because of whom thou hast suffered baneful things; And thou shalt give instead of crooked words…” Note: “581. Babylon.--Here put for Ctesiphon on the Tigris, the metropolis of the Parthian Empire. This empire was one of the great powers of the East, and, after long conflict with the Syrian king, spread its dominion over western Asia, and very successfully resisted the Romans until the third century of our era. 6 594. Hostages to Rome.--A little while before the beginning of the Christian era the Parthian king Phraates sent four of his sons to Rome, and the Roman writers speak of them as hostages to Augustus. See Rawlinson, Sixth Oriental Monarchy, chap. Xiii.661 v. Interpretation 5: The Antichrist or false Messiahs or a satanic character (cf., 1 John). Arguments for this reference are: 1. “The language of ‘conquering’ is used elsewhere of the beast oppressing the saints (11:17; 13:7). That ‘conquer’ (νικάω) [see my notes on the “victory people” and the “Nicolaitans”] is used in 6:2 without an object, as in 5:5, but has an object in 11:7 and 13:7 when referring to the antichrist, does not necessitate that the first rider be Christ, since Christ’s and the saints’ ‘conquering’ also has an object elsewhere in the book (cf., 12:7; 17:14).”662 2. “In Zechariah 1:8-15 and 6:1-8 the horses are identified together as being the same in nature, and this must also be the case in Revelation 6:1-8; since Zechariah 1 and 6 are an influential model in the author’s mind (Targ. Zech. 6:1-8 identifies the horsemen as evil agents of the four pagan kingdoms of Daniel 2 ands 7; cf., Targ.

659 http ://wesley.nnu.edu/index.php?id=2126 660 Sibylline Oracles, collection of oracular prophecies in which Jewish or Christian doctrines were allegedly confirmed by a sibyl (legendary Greek prophetess); the prophecies were actually the work of certain Jewish and Christian writers from about 150 BC to about AD 180 and are not to be confused with the Sibylline Books, a much earlier collection of sibylline prophecies (see Sibyl). Source: http s://www.britannica.com/topic/Sibylline-Oracles 661 Source: http s://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/sib/sib07.htm 662 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 375. 165

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Zech. 4:7).”663 I note that the Targum Jonathan on Zechariah 6:1-8, presents the four horses as the four winds of God judging the whole earth.”664 3. “Revelation 12-13 portrays Satan and his minions as deceiving by imitating Christ’s appearance.”665 4. Aune states, based on the assumption that “the sequence of eschatological events in the eschatological discourse is somehow being replicated in Revelation 6:1-17.”666 “The prophecy of ‘false Christs and false prophets” who will come in Christ’s name and ‘mislead’ is mentioned as the very first of the woes preceding Jesus’ parousia in each of the versions of the Synoptic apocalypse (Mark 13:5-6; Matthew 24:4-5; Luke 21:8). This may confirm the identification of the first rider as satanic, since it is generally acknowledged that John has partly patterned his plagues after the woes of the Synoptic apocalypse.”667 5. Aune notes, “As is sometimes suggested, it might be awkward to have Christ open a seal that contains a vision in which his is also the subject, although the paradoxical nature of visions could account for this (cf., on 5:1-6).”668 6. Thinking logically or sequentially, “If it is correct to understand the fourth horseman of ‘death’ as a summary of the first three, then the first must be evil.”669 7. As in “6:2, in 9:7, demonic agents of judgment are likened to ‘horses prepared for battle,’ have something like ‘crowns’ on their heads, and are addressed with an authorization clause (cf., 9:3, 5): ‘it was given to them’).” vi. CONCLUSION: 1. Beale concludes, “Therefore, the first rider represents a satanic force attempting to defeat and oppress believers spiritually through deception, persecution, or both (so 11:7; 13:7) – doing God’s bidding. This image of the rider may include reference to: a. The antichrist b. Governments that persecute Christians c. The devil’s servants in general.”670 2. Other

NOUTHETICS

663 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 376. 664 http s://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Zechariah.6.7?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en 665 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 376. 666 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 394. 667 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 376. 668 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 376. 669 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 376. 670 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 377-78. 166

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. Regardless if Jesus or the antichrist is personified as the rider on the white horse, the language of 6:2 implies invasion and war. Mounce, “If the first seal suggested invasion from without, the second seal may refer to internal strife (citing Roloff, 86).”671 2. Other

671 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 143. 167

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 6:3-4 The Second Seal—War 3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. 3 Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν δευτέραν, ἤκουσα τοῦ δευτέρου ζῴου λέγοντος· Ἔρχου. 4 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄλλος ἵππος πυρρός, καὶ τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἐδόθη αὐτῷ λαβεῖν τὴν εἰρήνην ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἵνα ἀλλήλους σφάξουσιν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ μάχαιρα μεγάλη.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν δευτέραν, ἤκουσα τοῦ δευτέρου ζῴου λέγοντος· Ἔρχου. a. Come (Ἔρχου) 2. 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄλλος ἵππος πυρρός, καὶ τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἐδόθη αὐτῷ λαβεῖν τὴν εἰρήνην ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἵνα ἀλλήλους σφάξουσιν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ μάχαιρα μεγάλη. a. And another, a red horse, went out; b. and to him who sat on it, c. it was granted to take peace from the earth, i. “The missions of the red horse would be quickly understood in John’s day, well acquainted as it was with rebellion and civil disorder. In a single year, A.D. 68-69, Rome had been ruled by four different emperors. It is reported that in the thirty-year period prior to the reign of Herod the Great (67-37 B.C.), more than one hundred thousand insurgents died in revolutions and rebellions in Palestine alone.”672 d. and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. καὶ i. The term for sword here refers to the Roman short sword, a “sword appropriate to this sort of internecine warfare.”673 Wilson argues, “The sword represents war that was to fall upon the earth, taking away the peace. Ezekiel 21 celebrates the sword as God’s instrument of judgment, “I will draw my sword from its scabbard… I have stationed the sword for slaughter” (Ezekiel 21:3, 15).674 ii. Mounce is on point when he states, “If the first seal suggested invasion from without, the second seal may refer to internal strife (citing Roloff, 86).”675 “International strife in general [is in view here]. However, Beale continues, “persecution of Christians is also in mind.”676 iii. Beale argues, “The first rider [white horse] introduces war in general terms, and the following rides delineate specific conditions characteristic of war. However, these plagues must not be limited to literal warfare but include

672 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 143. 673 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 143. 674 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 289. 675 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 143. 676 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 379. 168

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 also the dimension of spiritual struggles, as is especially evident from the identification of the first rider described above and from the fourth rider (see on v 8). Therefore, vv 3-8 describe how Satan attempts to conquer the saints through suffering so that they lose their faith. Yet it must be remembered that these trials also are ironically used by God ultimately as punishments for unbelievers.”677 e. Mounce indicates 2 Thessalonians 2:6-ff may be in the background.678 i. 2 Thess 2:6-11, “6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. f. Also consider Zechariah 14:12-15, i. “12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 It will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. 15 So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.” g.

Other

NOUTHETICS

677 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 378-79. 678 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 143. 169

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 6:5-6 The Third Seal—Famine 5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” 5 Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξε τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τρίτην, ἤκουσα τοῦ τρίτου ζῴου λέγοντος· Ἔρχου. καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος μέλας, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἔχων ζυγὸν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. 6 καὶ ἤκουσα ὡς φωνὴν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων λέγουσαν· Χοῖνιξ σίτου δηναρίου, καὶ τρεῖς χοίνικες κριθῶν δηναρίου· καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ τὸν οἶνον μὴ ἀδικήσῃς.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. a. When He broke the third seal, b. I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” c. I looked, and behold, a black horse; i. “The color black had strong negative connotations in antiquity because of its association with darkness and its consequent use as a symbol of death, the underworld, and (in the medieval Church) the Devil.”679 d. and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. i. The pair of scales serves “as a symbol not of justice but of the necessary rationing of food at exorbitant prices.”680 2. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” a. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, i. Who is speaking? Jesus? b. “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; i. Wilson indicates, “A quart of wheat and three quarts of barley were being sold at the inflated price of a denarius – a day’s wages. This price was eleven to sixteen times the price of wheat in Sicily during this period. Such overpricing occurred during the latter years of Nero’s reign.”681 Mounce states, “The price appears to be ten to twelve times what it should have been.”682 Also note, “The prices mentioned in the fourth century BC writings of the Greek historian Xenophon. In his work Anabasis 1.5.5-6, for example, he writes, the prices are “fifty times the normal rates.”683

679 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 396. 680 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 134. 681 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 290. 682 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 144. 683 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 397. Note: “5 here they remained three days and provisioned the army. Thence Cyrus marched thirteen stages through desert country, ninety parasangs, keeping the Euphrates river on the right, and arrived at Pylae. In the course of these stages many of the baggage animals died of hunger, for there was no fodder and, in fact, no growing thing of any kind, but 170

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Note Cicero (first century BC Roman statesman, “All Sicily complains that Caius Verres, when he had ordered corn to be brought into his granary for him, and when a bushel of wheat was two sesterces, demanded of the farmers twelve sesterces a bushel for wheat. It was a great crime, an immense sum, an impudent theft, an intolerable injustice.”684 iii. “A man normally consumed a quart of wheat each day. Because a family could no longer afford wheat, they were forced to survive by eating barley. Hence the famine indicated is only moderate and not life-threatening.”685 So Aune, “The author’s emphasis on a denarius as the cost of a liter of wheat and three liters of barley presupposes that this amount represents a daily wage for an average worker (Matthew 20:1-16; Tob. 5:14).”686 iv. Aune states, “One liter of wheat and three liters of barley are mentioned together here because it is the appropriate ration for a cavalryman and his mount, or for an individual and his domestic animals.”687 v. Regarding barley, note: 1. Barley survives heat and drought better than other cereal grains and has a shorter growing season than wheat. It was used for a beverage called in Latin tisana or ‘barley-water,’ for beer (in Egypt), and for porridge, and the stalk was used for fodder. (1 Kinds 4:28; Pliny Hist. nat. 18:74) but was not usually used for bread (Pliny, Hist. nat. 18.71-75, except among the poorer people and slaves (Judges 7:13 [cf., 6:15-16]; 2 Kings 4:42; Jos. Ant. 5.220-21; John 6:9, 13). According to the Romans, a shortage in the grain supply could be considered a prodigium, i.e., a divinely sent sign foreshadowing coming disasters (Tacitus Annals 12.42).”688 c. and do not damage the oil and the wine.” i. From a horticultural perspective, “the devastation of olive trees and vines would impede production of oil and wine for several years. Most commentators have argued that the intent of the prohibition is to lessen the severity of the famine (i.e., an olive tree must be cultivated five years before fruiting, and fifteen to twenty years to mature; vineyards also take several years to establish).”689 ii. According to Aune, “The sparing of the vineyards has been linked to the vine edict of Domitian, though this is far from certain. During the first

the land was absolutely bare; and the people who dwelt here made a living by quarrying mill-stones along the river banks, then fashioning them and taking them to Babylon, where they sold them and bought grain in exchange. 6 As for the troops, their supply of grain gave out, and it was not possible to buy any except in the Lydian market attached to the barbarian army of Cyrus, at the price of four sigli for a capith of wheat flour or barley meal. The siglus is worth seven and one-half Attic obols, and the capith had the capacity of two Attic choenices. The soldiers therefore managed to subsist by eating meat.” Source: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0202%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D5 %3Asection%3D5 684 https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/cicero-orations-vol-1 685 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 290. 686 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 397. 687 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 397. 688 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 397. 689 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 398. 171

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Jewish revolt (A.D. 66-70), Titus had the ‘gardens’ on the outskirts of Jerusalem destroyed (Josephus Jewish Wars 6.7).”690 iii. Mounce indicates Boring has argued the limitation of the famine to not strike the oil and wine may reflect “social inequity existing in a time of scarcity. It is the poor, not the rich, who suffer.”691 Mounce counters, stating, “But in that case it would be difficult to understand why the Lamb – the voice ‘among the four living creatures’ (v 6; cf. 5:6) – would issue an order favoring the rich and aggravating the plight of the poor. Others see in the oil and wine a reference to the sacrament (James 5:14) and understand the clause to promise that believers will not suffer from the famine.”692 iv. Ruling from AD 69-79, Roman Emperor Vespasian, who was the father of Domitian,693 faced a famine in “Prussa and a consequent riot against the rich who were thought to have hoarded grain (Dio Chrysostom Orat. 46).”694 v. Again, regarding Domitian, Mounce notes that “commentators who hold that much of John’s imagery grows out of his contemporary culture usually mention the decree of Domitian in AD 92 to destroy half the vineyards throughout the provinces. The order met such resistance that it was rescinded.”695 According to Hemer who cites, Rostovtzeff, “Domitian seems to be motivated to encourage corn-production at the expense of vines (cf., Suetonius Dom. 7.2; Stat. Silv. 4:3.11-12, of c. AD. 95).”696 vi. According to Wilson, “The order provoked outrage in Asia, and a delegation headed by Smyrnean orator Scopelianus was sent to Rome to protest the action. The order remained moot because the emperor failed to implement it.”697 1. Aune indicates Domitian’s edict was “issued between 90-93 AD.”698Suetonius writes, 7.2, “Once upon the occasion of a plentiful wine crop, attended with a scarcity of grain, thinking that the fields were neglected through too much attention to the vineyards, he made an edict forbidding anyone to plant more vines in Italy and ordering that the vineyards in the provinces be cut down, or but half of them at most be left standing; but he did not persist in carrying out the measure. He opened some of the most important offices of the court to freedmen and Roman knights.”699 See also: 2. Suetonius Dom 14.1-2, describes the disdain Rome developed toward Domitian. He writes, “1 In this way he became an object of terror and hatred to all, but he was overthrown at last by a

690 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 398. 691 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 144. 692 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 144. 693 Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright Publishing Company, 2015), p. 399. 694 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 399. 695 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 144. 696 Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), p. 158. 697 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 290-91. 698 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 398. 699 Source: http s://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Domitian*.html 172

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 conspiracy of his friends and favourite freedmen, to which his wife was also privy. He had long since had a premonition of the last year and day of his life, and even of the very hour and manner of his death. In his youth astrologers had predicted all this to him, and his father once even openly ridiculed him at dinner for refusing mushrooms, saying that he showed himself unaware of his destiny in not rather fearing the sword. 2 Therefore he was at all times timorous and worried, and was disquieted beyond measure by even the slightest suspicions. It is thought that nothing had more effect in inducing him to ignore his proclamation about cutting down the vineyards than the circulation of notes containing the following lines:

‘Gnaw at my root, an you will; even then shall I have juice in plenty To pour upon thee, O goat, when at the altar you stand.’”700

vii. Wilson states, “Famines were frequent in the East (cf., Acts 11:28), and many of the cities in Asia Minor never could produce enough corn for their populace.”701 1. Acts 11:28, “One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.” viii. Witherington suggests, “We may take the exempting of the vineyards and the olive trees as a sign of how God was merciful in comparison to Domitian.”702

NOUTHETICS 1. Consider this most horrific story as recorded by Josephus. “[201] There was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan, her name was Mary; her father was Eleazar, of the village Bethezob, which signifies the house of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, and was with them besieged therein at this time. The other effects of this woman had been already seized upon, such I mean as she had brought with her out of Perea, and removed to the city. What she had treasured up besides, as also what food she had contrived to save, had been also carried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose. This put the poor woman into a very great passion, and by the frequent reproaches

700 Source: http s://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Domitian*.html 701 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 291. See: “Several famines occurred during the reign of Claudius (cf. Dion Cassius, LX. 11, Tacitus, Annal. XII. 13, and Eusebius, Chron., year of Abr. 2070) in different parts of the empire, but no universal famine is recorded such as Eusebius speaks of. According to Josephus (Ant. XX. 2. 5 and 5. 2), a severe famine took place in Judea while Cuspius Fadus and Tiberius Alexander were successively procurators. Fadus was sent into Judea upon the death of Agrippa (44 a.d.), and Alexander was succeeded by Cumanus in 48 a.d. The exact date of Alexander's accession we do not know, but it took place probably about 45 or 46. This famine is without doubt the one referred to by Agabus in Acts 11:28. The exact meaning of the word οἰκουμένηx, in that passage, is a matter of dispute. Whether it refers simply to Palestine, or is used to indicate a succession of famines in different parts of the world, or is employed only in a rhetorical sense, it is impossible to say. Eusebius understands the word in its widest sense, and therefore assumes a universal famine; but he is mistaken in his assumption.” Source: https ://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/ npnf201.iii.vii.ix.html 702 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 134. 173

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 and imprecations she east at these rapacious villains, she had provoked them to anger against her; but none of them, either out of the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of commiseration of her case, would take away her life; and if she found any food, she perceived her labors were for others, and not for herself; and it was now become impossible for her any way to find any more food, while the famine pierced through her very bowels and marrow, when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself; nor did she consult with any thing but with her passion and the necessity she was in. She then attempted a most unnatural thing; and snatching up her son, who was a child sucking at her breast, she said, “O thou miserable infant! for whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition? As to the war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be slaves. This famine also will destroy us, even before that slavery comes upon us. Yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than both the other. Come on; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets, and a by-word to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete the calamities of us Jews.” As soon as she had said this, she slew her son, and then roasted him, and eat the one half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed. Upon this the seditious came in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened her that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show them what food she had gotten ready. She replied that she had saved a very fine portion of it for them, and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind, and stood astonished at the sight, when she said to them, "This is mine own son, and what hath been done was mine own doing! Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself! Do not you pretend to be either more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother; but if you be so scrupulous, and do abominate this my sacrifice, as I have eaten the one half, let the rest be reserved for me also." After which those men went out trembling, being never so much aftrighted at any thing as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which the whole city was full of this horrid action immediately; and while every body laid this miserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard of action had been done by themselves. So those that were thus distressed by the famine were very desirous to die, and those already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not lived long enough either to hear or to see such miseries.”703 2. Other

703 Source: http ://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3 Abook%3D6%3Awhiston+chapter%3D3%3Awhiston+section%3D4. Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895 174

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 6:7-8 The Fourth Seal—Death 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. 7 Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τετάρτην, ἤκουσα φωνὴν τοῦ τετάρτου ζῴου λέγοντος· Ἔρχου. 8 καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλωρός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ὄνομα αὐτῷ ὁ Θάνατος, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἠκολούθει μετ’ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς, ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τετάρτην, ἤκουσα φωνὴν τοῦ τετάρτου ζῴου λέγοντος· Ἔρχου 2. 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλωρός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ὄνομα αὐτῷ ὁ Θάνατος, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἠκολούθει μετ’ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς, ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς. a. I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; i. Mounce indicates the color χλωρός (lit. yellow green color similary to that of vegetation) is the color of a corpse.704 Here it describes the “pallor of death or the blanched appearance of a person struck with terror.”705 ii. Wilson posits, “the pale-colored horse of the fourth seal suggests the appearance of sick persons and corpses. Its rider comes as a pair whose identity is personified.”706 b. and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. i. Beale is on point stating, “Death and Hades are satanic forces under the ultimate governance of the throne room.”707 ii. Hades is the “sphere that imprisons the dead.”708 iii. Wilson indicates, “In the Septuagint, death is the frequent translation of the Hebrew word debner meaning ‘pestilence’ (cf., Jeremiah 15:2-3). Pestilence was sent as divine judgment upon Israel when the covenant was broken.”709 c. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, i. Our current world population is 7.8 billon. Twenty five percent of 7.8 billion is 1.95 billion people.

704 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 145. 705 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 145 n 23. 706 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 291. 707 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 382. 708 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 382. 709 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 291. 175

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 d. to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. i. Regarding death as associated with pestilence, Wilson notes, “During the summer of 65 [A.D.] when Nero was persecuting the church, a plague broke out in Rome killing 30,000 residents. Pestilence also broke out in Jerusalem due to overcrowding during the Roman siege in A.D. 70.”710 1. Suetonius, Nero, 39, “To all the disasters and abuses thus caused by the prince there were added certain accidents of fortune; a plague which in a single autumn entered thirty thousand deaths in the accounts of Libitina; a disaster in Britain, where two important towns were sacked and great numbers of citizens and allies were butchered; a shameful defeat in the Orient, in consequence of which the legions in Armenia were sent under the yoke and Syria was all but lost. It is surprising and of special note that all this time he bore nothing with more patience than the curses and abuse of the people, and was particularly lenient towards those who assailed him with gibes and lampoons. Of these many were posted or circulated both in Greek and Latin, for example the following: "Nero, Orestes, Alcmeon their mothers slew." "A calculation new. Nero his mother slew." "Who can deny the descent from Aeneas' great line of our Nero? One his mother took off, the other one took off his sire." "While our ruler his lyre doth twang and the Parthian his bowstring, Paean-singer our prince shall be, and Far-darter our foe." "Rome is becoming one house; off with you to Veii, Quirites! If that house does not soon seize upon Veii as well." He made no effort, however, to find the authors; in fact, when some of them were reported to the senate by an informer, he forbade their being very severely punished. As he was passing along a public street, the Cynic Isidorus loudly taunted him, "because he was a good singer of the ills of Nauplius, but made ill use of his own goods." Datus also, an actor of Atellan farces, in a song beginning: "Farewell to thee, father; farewell to thee, mother," represented drinking and swimming in pantomime, referring of course to the death of Claudius and Agrippina; and in the final tag, "Orcus guides your steps," he indicated the senate by a gesture. Nero contented himself with banishing the actor and the philosopher from the city, either because he was impervious to all insults, or to avoid sharpening men's wits by showing his vexation.” 2. Josephus, Jewish Wars, 6.9.3, “Now the number of those that were carried captive during this whole war was collected to be ninety- seven thousand; as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege eleven hundred thousand, the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation [with the citizens of Jerusalem], but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army, which, at the very first, occasioned so great a

710 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 291. 176

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 straitness among them, that there came a pestilential destruction upon them, and soon afterward such a famine, as destroyed them more suddenly. And that this city could contain so many people in it, is manifest by that number of them which was taken under Cestius, who being desirous of informing Nero of the power of the city, who otherwise was disposed to contemn that nation, entreated the high priests, if the thing were possible, to take the number of their whole multitude. So these high priests, upon the coming of that feast which is called the Passover, when they slay their sacrifices, from the ninth hour till the eleventh, but so that a company not less than ten belong to every sacrifice, (for it is not lawful for them to feast singly by themselves,) and many of us are twenty in a company, found the number of sacrifices was two hundred and fifty-six thousand five hundred; which, upon the allowance of no more than ten that feast together, amounts to two millions seven hundred thousand and two hundred persons that were pure and holy; for as to those that have the leprosy, or the gonorrhea, or women that have their monthly courses, or such as are otherwise polluted, it is not lawful for them to be partakers of this sacrifice; nor indeed for any foreigners neither, who come hither to worship.”711 ii. “Often pestilence accompanied the siege of cities. Poor sanitation in overcrowded conditions and contaminated water supplies provided the breeding ground for such diseases as typhoid and cholera.”712 iii. See Zechariah 6. 3. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Mounce is on point when he states, “It is good to place oneself back in one of the seven churches and listen to the visions as they are being read. Instead of discussing the probable significance of each of the four colored horses those first listeners would undoubtably have recoiled in terror as war, bloodshed, famine, and death galloped furiously across the stage of their imagination. Visions at best are to be experienced rather than analyzed. Those who approach Revelation with a sympathetic imagination are most apt to understand its true meaning.”713 2. Beale states, Christian persecution is in mind here. “Such persecution comes because Christians do not compromise. They resist giving allegiance to the patron deities of the empire and the guilds (so 2:9; 13:16-17; see further on 2:8-3:22). Those who suffer economic deprivation now because of their loyalty to Christ will be rewarded by him at the consummation of all things when he will take away their ‘hunger and thirst’ forever (7:16).”714 See Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

711 http ://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/war6.html 712 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 291. 713 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 145-46. 714 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 381-82. 177

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 3. As mentioned at 6:6 above, John and the other evangelists [the synoptics and their related apocalyptic material, see above] “recognize in these cosmic occurrences a fulfillment of divine judgment upon Israel. Such prodigies (Lat. prodigia) were likewise understood by the Romans to be portents warning of divine wrath.”715 4. Wilson is correct stating, “Although [Death and Hades] are depicted as vital forces on earth, Jesus has already declared his spiritual authority over them (1:18).”716 See Ezekiel 14:21.

715 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 292. 716 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 291. 178

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 6:9-11 The Fifth Seal—Martyrs 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers [and sisters] who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

9 Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν πέμπτην σφραγῖδα, εἶδον ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐσφαγμένων διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἣν εἶχον. 10 καὶ ἔκραξαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες· Ἕως πότε, ὁ δεσπότης ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ἀληθινός, οὐ κρίνεις καὶ ἐκδικεῖς τὸ αἷμα ἡμῶν ἐκ τῶν κατοικούντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; 11 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἑκάστῳ στολὴ λευκή, καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα ἀναπαύσονται ἔτι χρόνον μικρόν, ἕως πληρωθῶσιν καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν οἱ μέλλοντες ἀποκτέννεσθαι ὡς καὶ αὐτοί.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν πέμπτην σφραγῖδα, εἶδον ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐσφαγμένων διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἣν εἶχον. a. When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, i. Wilson posits, John “sees a group of individuals who have been slain, even as the Lamb was (cf., 5:9).”717 b. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, i. Underneath the altar (altar/θυσιαστηρίου genitive singular of θυσιαστήριον). The noun, according to Aune, in this case refers to the “places where the sacrifice is made.”718 1. The location described as being underneath that altar is a “place of honor in a Jewish tradition attributed to Rabbi Akiba, which says to be buried in the Holy Land is as if one is buried beneath the altar.”719

717 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 292. 718 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 405. 719 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 134-35. See Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 152b, “It was taught, R. Eliezer said: The souls of the righteous are hidden under the Throne of Glory, as it is said, yet the soul of thine Lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life. But those of the wicked continue to be imprisoned, while one angel stands at one end of the world and a second stands at the other end, and they sling their souls to each other, for it is said, and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. Rabbah asked R. Nahman: What about those who are intermediate? Had I died I could not have told you this, he replied. Thus did Samuel say: Both these and those [the wicked and the intermediate] are delivered to Dumah; these enjoy rest, whereas the others have no rest. R. Mari said: [Even] the righteous are fated to be dust, for it is written, 'and the dust return to the earth as it was'. Certain diggers were digging in R. Nahman's ground, [when] R. Ahai b. Josiah snorted at them. So they went and told R. Nahman, 'A man snorted at us.' He went and asked him, 'Who are you?' 'I am Ahai b. Josiah.' 'But did not R. Mari say. [Even] the righteous are fated to be dust?' said he. 'But who is 179

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Aune notes, “In early Judaism, the situation of the dead, particularly the righteous dead, is sometimes described as one of rest and repose. Sometimes the metaphor of rest is used for burial.”720 ii. Souls (ψυχὰς accusative plural feminine of ψυχή). Witherington argues the term ψυχή “should probably not be translated as ‘soul’ here, for it means the living person or personality, without a body.”721 c. Slain because of the word of God i. Slain (ἐσφαγμένων perfect passive participle of σφάζω). This is the same word used to describe the Lamb in 5:6. d. and because of the testimony which they had maintained; i. Testimony (μαρτυρίαν accusative singular feminine of μαρτυρία). ii. Maintained (εἶχον imperfect active indicative of ἔχω). iii. The language of maintaining a testimony refers to a follower of Jesus’ commitment to not denounce or deny Jesus as their Lord nor offer worship to the current reigning emperor. 1. According to Mary Beard, “The letters of Pliny and Trajan amount to one of the most loquacious non-Christian discussions of the new religion [i.e., Christianity] to survive.”722 2. “The best estimate is that by 200 CE there were around two hundred thousand Christians in the Roman empire, of between fifty to sixty million people, though they may have been more visible than that figure suggests, as they were overwhelmingly concentrated in towns.”723 3. See the account of Perpetua and Felicitas below. iv. Why did Rome react against Christians with persecutions? 1. Mary Beard argues, “Roman religion was not only polytheistic but treated foreign gods much as it treated foreign peoples: by incorporation. As far back as the takeover of Veii in the early fourth century BCE, Rome had regularly welcomed the gods of the conquered. The basic rule was that as the Roman empire expanded, so did its pantheon of deities. Christianity was, in theory, an exclusive monotheism, which rejected the gods who for centuries had guaranteed the success of Rome. In practice, for every Perpetua

Mari,' he retorted 'I do not know him.' Yet surely a verse is written, 'and the dust returns to the earth as it was'? he urged. 'He who taught you Ecclesiastes did not teach you Proverbs,' he answered, 'for it is written, But envy is the rottenness of the bones: he who has envy in his heart, his bones rot away. [but] he who has no envy in his heart, his bones do not rot away.' He then felt him and perceived that there was substance in him. 'Let my master arise [and come] to my house,' he invited him. 'You have thus disclosed that you have not even studied the prophets, for it is written, And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves,' said he to him, 'But it is written, for dust art thou, and unto dust thou shalt return?' 'That means one hour before the resurrection of the dead', replied he. A certain Sadducee said to R. Abbahu: You maintain that the souls of the righteous are hidden under the Throne of Glory: then how did the bone [- practising] necromancer bring up Samuel by means of his necromancy? — There it was within twelve months [of death], he replied. For it was taught: For full [twelve months] the body is in existence and the soul ascends and descends; after twelve months the body ceases to exist.” Source: http ://www.come-and- hear.com/shabbath/shabbath_152.html See also https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.152b?lang=bi 720 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 410. 721 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 135. 722 Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright Publishing Company, 2015), p. 517. 723 Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright Publishing Company, 2015), p. 517. 180

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 who went bravely, or in Roman eyes stubbornly, to her death, there was probably hundreds of ordinary Christians who chose to sacrifice to the traditional gods, cross their fingers and ask for forgiveness later. But on paper there could be no accommodation.”724 2. 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” καὶ ἔκραξαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες· Ἕως πότε, ὁ δεσπότης ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ἀληθινός, οὐ κρίνεις καὶ ἐκδικεῖς τὸ αἷμα ἡμῶν ἐκ τῶν κατοικούντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; a. and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, b. “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” i. O Lord (ὁ δεσπότης noun nominative singular masculine of δεσπότης) is a term found “only here in Revelation is a general designation for people in authority (slaveowners: 1 Tim 6:1; Titus 2:9; 1 Peter 2:18).”725 Aune indicates, “The term δεσπότης, ‘master,’ is a regular Greek translation of two Latin terms for the Roman emperor, dominus and princeps (Phil Flacc.4.23). Both Greeks and barbarians addressed Domitian as δεσπότης, ‘master’ and θεός, ‘god,’ he was in reality an evil daimon. This identification of a Roman emperor as an evil supernatural being comes close to John’s perception of the real powers at work behind the emperor and the Roman empire.”726 ii. The idea that thing A must happen before thing B can happen is not new in the New Testament. For example, Paul writes, 1. “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27. As Gentiles are brought into the family of God (thing A), Jews are provoked to turn to belief and become followers of Jesus (thing B). iii. Regarding prayers of vengeance, see: 1. Luke18:6-8, “6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” 2. Psalm 79:5-10, “5 How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? 6 Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name. 7 For they have devoured Jacob And laid waste his habitation. 8 Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; Let Your compassion come quickly

724 Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright Publishing Company, 2015), p. 519. 725 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 407. 726 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 407. 181

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 to meet us, For we are brought very low. 9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake. 10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”” Let there be known among the nations in our sight, Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed. 3. Deuteronomy 32:43, “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.” iv. See also last first century Jewish writings: 1. 1 Enoch 47:4, “And the hearts of the holy were filled with joy; Because the number of the righteous had been offered, And the prayer of the righteous had been heard, And the blood of the righteous been required before the Lord of Spirits.”727 2. 4 Ezra 4:35-37, “35 for many. Are not these the very questions which were asked by the righteous in the storehouse of souls: “How long must we stay here?36When will the harvest begin, the time when we get our reward?” And the archangel Jeremiel gave them this answer: “As soon as the number of those like yourselves is complete. For the Lord has weighed the world in a37balance, he has measured and numbered the ages; he will move nothing, alter nothing, until the appointed number is achieved.”728 3. 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers [and sisters] who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἑκάστῳ στολὴ λευκή, καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα ἀναπαύσονται ἔτι χρόνον μικρόν, ἕως πληρωθῶσιν καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν οἱ μέλλοντες ἀποκτέννεσθαι ὡς καὶ αὐτοί. a. And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, i. Was given (ἐδόθη aorist passive indicative of δίδωμι) 1. Aune, “The passive verbs in this verse are passives of divine activity used as circumlocution for the name of God, so these phrases could be translated, ‘Then God gave each of them a white robe and told them to rest a while longer.’”729 ii. White robe (λευκή adjective nominative singular of λευκός). The “white robes indicate the group’s blessedness as they patiently await the time when God will avenge his enemies.”730 iii. Aune notes, “The timing of this investiture is puzzling, for garments are given to the souls of the martyrs only when they complain that they have not been avenged.”731

727 Source: http s://sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe050.htm 728 Source: http s://www.scribd.com/doc/2019085/4-Ezra-Revised-English 729 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 410. 730 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 292. 731 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 410. 182

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. We must not discount the paradoxical nature of apocalyptic and guard against forcing our scientific paradigms into the text. It is okay that we don’t understand all aspects of the metaphors and imagery. iv. Rest for a little while b. until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers [and sisters] who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. i. Regarding our western concept of timelines, “This seems to presuppose an ‘intermediate state of indeterminate duration between death and the assumption of the heavenly mode of existence symbolized by the white robes (cf., Roloff [ET] 89).”732 ii. One of the most touching accounts of Christian martyrdom is found in execution of Vibia Perpetua. This “Christian woman was sent to be killed by wild beasts in the amphitheatre in Roman Carthage in 203 CE. Vibia Perpetua, a newly converted Christian, was aged about twenty-two, married and with a young baby, when she was arrested and brought before the procurator of the province, who was acting in place of the governor who had recently died. Her memoir is the most lengthy, personal, and intimate account by a woman of her own experiences to have survived form the whole of the ancient world, dwelling on her anxieties about her child and the dreams she experienced in prison before she was sent to the beasts. Even in this account the frustration of her interrogator comes across, and his keenness to get her to recant. ‘Have pity on the white hairs of your father, have pity on your tiny baby,’ he urged her. ‘Just make a sacrifice for the well-being of the emperor.’ ‘I will not do so,’ she replied. ‘Are you a Christian?’ he asked, now putting the formal question. When she said she was – Christiana sum’ – she was sentenced to death. The procurator was obviously baffled, and so it seems was the crowd who watched her die in the amphitheatre. Roman blood sports obeyed a rather strict set of rules. It was animals and criminals and the slave underclass who met their deaths, not young mothers.”733 4. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. The Problem of Christians who Lapse and Denounce Christ a. The problem in summary: How should church handle baptized persons who sinned and seek restoration in the Catholic Church.”734 This problem, is not unrelated to the Donatist schism which was “rooted in a conflict over the ideology of martyrdom. In the tradition of Tertullian and of Cyprian himself, popular North African Christianity continued to glorify the martyr’s calling and the spirit of opposition to the world which it embodied.”735

732 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 410. 733 Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright Publishing Company, 2015), p. 518-19. 734 Walker, Williston, Richard A. Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Handy. A History of the Christian Church. Fourth edition (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985), p, 108. 735 Walker, Williston, Richard A. Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Handy. A History of the Christian Church. Fourth edition (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985), p, 130. 183

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. “The church was founded ultimately upon the apostles whom Christ commissioned. It was therefore the apostles as a single college (collegium: a body of colleagues), severally exercising a single undivided authority, who were the foundation of the church and hence the basis of its identity, holiness, and unity. The apostolic office, however, had in Cyprian’s view (and not his alone) developed upon the bishops, the successors of the apostles, who severally exercised the authority of a single collective ministry. ‘There is one God, and Christ is on, and there is one chair [episcopate] founded upon the rock by the word of the Lord.’ Hence, to depart from communion with the bishop is any given place was, quite simply to depart from the church, the ark of salvation. By the same token, on the principle that ‘the bishop is in the church and the church in the bishop.’”736

Cyprian himself states:

“Whoever is not united with his bishop is cut off from the unity of the Church, and cannot be united with Christ.”

c. According to the following texts, apostasy was a dreadful thing: i. Hebrews 6:4-6, “4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” ii. Hebrews 10:26-31, “26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” iii. 2 Peter 2:17-22, “17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away

736 Walker, Williston, Richard A. Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Handy. A History of the Christian Church. Fourth edition (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985), p, 83. 184

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” d. According to Ivor J. Davidson, “In the early second century, the author of the influential Shepherd of Hermas737 impressed upon his readers that sins committed after baptism were capable of being remitted at least once through the process of penance.”738 e. During the later second and early third centuries, “Those under discipline continued to attend the first part of the worship service but were dismissed along with catechumens prior to the communion ritual. They submitted to a public rebuke in the presence of the congregation and engaged in a full and contrite confession of their sin, an act commonly known under its Greek name of exomologesis.”739 f. “The Donatists name arose from Donatus, an early bishop of Carthage (313-355 AD) who led the protest against Catholic practices. Donatist charges centered on the fact that certain Catholic bishops740 had handed over the Scriptures to be burned during the persecutions under Diocletian (emperor from AD 284-305). Such an act, the Donatists insisted, was a serious sin of apostasy.”741 The Donatist believed their adherents, because of purity and no compromising during persecution, were the real Catholic church. Priests who lapsed should be excommunicated. In summary, Walker states, “A body puritan and exclusivist in spirit, the Donatist church stood in the tradition of Tertullian and Cyprian742 and, regarded itself as the one Body of Christians in the Roman world which had maintained the spirit and tradition of the martyr-church of old. The catholic communion of churches it saw as ‘tainted’ – not only by the fact that it stemmed (as was alleged) from bishops who had betrayed the faith by handing over their holy books in the persecution of Diocletian, but also (indeed above all) by the fact that it was now supported by Roman authorities, ‘the world.’ Accordingly, as far as Donatists were concerned, the catholic body was simply no ‘church’ at all.”743

737 Graydon F. Snyder writes (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 3, p. 148): “The early Christian document Hermas, or Shepherd of Hermas, was known to the early Church Fathers. The Muratorian canon, a list of canonical books from about the 3d century, says Hermas was written by the brother of Pius, Bishop of Rome, about 140-154. Despite much speculation, the author remains unknown. It was written in Rome and involves the Roman church. The document was composed over a longer period of time. Visions I-IV were composed during a threatened persecution, probably under Trajan (the Clement of 8:3 could be Clement of Rome). Vision V - Similitude VIII and Similitude X were written perhaps by the same author to describe repentance to Christians who were wavering. Similitude IX was written to unify the entire work and to threaten those who had been disloyal. This last phase must have occurred before Irenaeus (ca. 175). A preferred date would be 140. On the basis of this internal analysis multiple authorship seems necessary (Giet 1963), though the work could have been composed by one person over a long period of time (Joly 1958).” Source: http ://earlychristianwritings.com/shepherd.html 738 Davidson, Ivor J. The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine AD 30-312 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004), p. 309-310. 739 Davidson, Ivor J. The Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine AD 30-312 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004), p. 310. 740 Specifically, Walker identifies, “Caecilian had apostatized (by handing his church’s sacred books over to the authorities 741 Shelly, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language (Waco: Word, 1982), p. 144. 742 Cyrpian, b. 200 AD – d. 258 AD, was bishop of Carthage, North Africa. 743 Walker, Williston, Richard A. Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Handy. A History of the Christian Church. Fourth edition (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985), p, 201. 185

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. One of the earliest testimonies we have of persecution and martyrdom is recorded by Ignatius of Antioch. In his letter to the Roman Christians, he writes, a. “5:1 From Syria even unto Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers, who only wax worse when they are kindly treated. Howbeit through their wrong doings I become more completely a disciple; yet am I not hereby justified. 5:2 May I have joy of the beasts that have been prepared for me; and I pray that I may find them prompt; nay I will entice them that they may devour me promptly, not as they have done to some, refusing to touch them through fear. Yea though of themselves they should not be willing while I am ready, I myself will force them to it. 5:3 Bear with me. I know what is expedient for me. Now am I beginning to be a disciple. May nought of things visible and things invisible envy me; that I may attain unto Jesus Christ. Come fire and cross and grapplings with wild beasts, [cuttings and manglings,] wrenching of bones, hacking of limbs, crushings of my whole body, come cruel tortures of the devil to assail me. Only be it mine to attain unto Jesus Christ.”744 3. Several important theological issues are drawn from this text. a. Why does God allow suffering in general. b. Why does God allow suffering and persecution on His faithful children specifically. c. Why does God allow suffering to continue over long periods of time. 4. 6:10, John use of the term δεσπότης is a polemic against the emperor. 5. Witherington states, “M. E. Boring offers a unique reading of this scene. ‘The chopping black of the Roman executioner has become a cosmic altar. Christians who refuse to sacrifice to the image of the Emperor are nonetheless Christian priests who sacrificed themselves on the true altar of God.’”745

744 Source: htt p://earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-romans-lightfoot.html. See also: William R. Schoedel comments on the recensions of Ignatius (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 3, p. 384- 385): Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. 3.36) places Ignatius' martyrdom in the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117), and a date in the second half of Trajan's reign or somewhat later seems to fit the picture of the conditions reflected in the letters. Arguments are still advanced (notably by Joly 1979) that call into question the authenticity of these documents, but the researches of Zahn (1873) and Lightfoot (1885, 1889) and their followers continue to dominate the scholarship. Thus the authenticity of (a) what is not often, though misleadingly, called the "middle recension" is generally accepted. By the same token, (b) the so-called "long recension" is usually regarded as a 4th-century (perhaps Neo- Arrian) revision (Hagerdorn 1973: xxxvii-lii) consisting of interpolations into the original letters and the addition of 6 spurious letters. This recension is found in numerous Greek and Latin manuscripts and came to be the form in which Ignatius was most often known until Archbishop Ussher, in his Polycarpi et Ignatii Epistolae of 1644, brilliantly unearthed an earlier (Latin) form of the text akin to that quoted by Eusebius. Ussher had rediscovered the middle recension. The Greek of that recension (except for the letter to the Romans) became available with the publication of Igantius' letters from Codex Mediceo-Laurentianus 57,7 by Isaak Voss in 1646. The Greek text of Ignatius' letter to the Romans had a separate history as part of an account of Ignatius' martyrdom (Codex Parisiensis-Colbertinus 1451), and this too was soon published by Th. Ruinart (1689). Our knowledge of the middle recension has been increased somewhat by the discovery of several important oriental versions: Coptic (fragments), Syriac (fragments), Armenian, Arabic. It should be noted that almost all of the collections of letters of the middle recension in the manuscripts also include some or all of the spurious letters. Since the interpolations and the spurious letters are in all likelihood the work of one person, these collections represent a curious mixture of textual traditions. Finally, (c) what some have called the "short recension" proves to be no recension at all but merely an abridgment of a Syriac version of the middle recension. The term short recension, then, would serve most accurately to describe the so-called middle recension and is often so used.” Source: http ://earlychristianwritings.com/ignatius.html 745 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 135, citing M. E. Boring, Revelation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1989), p. 125. 186

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 6. It is possible, in view of Borings remarks, this scene reflects the martyrdom of pastors from Asia Minor. However, certainly John is intending to be inclusive of all who have died for devotion to Christ Jesus. 7. A brief comment about Communion Certificates. a. Bercot, citing Cyprian, reports: “For this reason, I beg you that you will designate by name in the certificate [of communion] only those whom you yourselves witness, whom you have known, whose penitence you see to be very near to full satisfaction.”746 8. The following texts should be read with a background of persecution in mind: a. Romans 12:14-21, “14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” b. Hebrews 12:1-7, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. 12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person

746 Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998), p. 213. 187

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” 9. According to Witherington, “John is telling the prospective martyrs that their deaths are a necessary part of God’s plan for conquering evil.”747

747 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 135. 188

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 6:12-17 The Sixth Seal—Terror 12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

12 Καὶ εἶδον ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν ἕκτην, καὶ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἐγένετο μέλας ὡς σάκκος τρίχινος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὅλη ἐγένετο ὡς αἷμα, 13 καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔπεσαν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὡς συκῆ βάλλει τοὺς ὀλύνθους αὐτῆς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου μεγάλου σειομένη, 14 καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπεχωρίσθη ὡς βιβλίον ἑλισσόμενον, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ νῆσος ἐκ τῶν τόπων αὐτῶν ἐκινήθησαν. 15 καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες καὶ οἱ χιλίαρχοι καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι καὶ οἱ ἰσχυροὶ καὶ πᾶς δοῦλος καὶ ἐλεύθερος ἔκρυψαν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ σπήλαια καὶ εἰς τὰς πέτρας τῶν ὀρέων· 16 καὶ λέγουσιν τοῖς ὄρεσιν καὶ ταῖς πέτραις· Πέσετε ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς καὶ κρύψατε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου, 17 ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ τίς δύναται σταθῆναι;

INTRODUCTION 1. “The opening of the sixth seal brings us to the end of the cosmos as we know it (cf., Isaiah 13:9-11; 24:21-23; 1 En. 102.2-3).”748 2. Beale states, “The judgment of the world is depicted with stock-in-trade Old Testament imagery for the dissolution of the cosmos.”749 3. Old Testaments texts for review: a. Isaiah 13:9-13, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. 12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger.” b. Isaiah 24:1-6, “Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they

748 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 135. 749 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 396. 189

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.” c. Isaiah 24:19-23, “The earth is broken asunder, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently. 20 The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again. 21 So it will happen in that day, That the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on earth. 22 They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished. 23 Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.” d. Isaiah 34:4, “And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.” e. Ezekiel 32:6-8, “I will also make the land drink the discharge of your blood As far as the mountains, And the ravines will be full of you. 7 “And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light. 8 “All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land,” Declares the Lord God.” f. Joel 2:10, “Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.” g. Joel 2:30-31, “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. 31 “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” h. Joel 3:15-16, “The sun and moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. 16 The Lord roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.” i. Habakkuk 3:6-11, “He stood and surveyed the earth; He looked and startled the nations. Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered, The ancient hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan under distress, The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling. 8 Did the Lord rage against the rivers, Or was Your anger against the rivers, Or was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, On Your chariots of salvation? 9 Your bow was made bare, The rods of chastisement were sworn. Selah. You cleaved the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw You and quaked; The downpour of waters swept by. The deep uttered forth its voice, It lifted high its hands. 11 Sun and moon stood in their places; They went away at the light of Your arrows, At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.” 4. Other

EXEGESIS 1. 12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 12 Καὶ εἶδον ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν ἕκτην, καὶ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἐγένετο μέλας ὡς σάκκος τρίχινος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὅλη ἐγένετο ὡς αἷμα,

190

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. I looked when He broke the sixth seal, b. and there was a great earthquake; i. Earthquakes were not uncommon in the Greco-Roman world. See Strabo. ii. Witherington conjects, “John’s audience, when hearing 6:12-17, may have thought of the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79 (see Pliny, the Elder Book 6,

191

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Epistles 16, 20),750 which indeed caused the sky to turn black and fire to afflict the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.”751 c. and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, d. and the whole moon became like blood;

750 Source: http ://www.attalus.org/old/pliny6.html Pliny writes, “He had the galleys launched and went on board himself, in the hope of succouring, not only Rectina, but many others, for there were a number of people living along the shore owing to its delightful situation. He hastened, therefore, towards the place whence others were fleeing, and steering a direct course, kept the helm straight for the point of danger, so utterly devoid of fear that every movement of the looming portent and every change in its appearance he described and had noted down by his secretary, as soon as his eyes detected it. Already ashes were beginning to fall upon the ships, hotter and in thicker showers as they approached more nearly, with pumice-stones and black flints, charred and cracked by the heat of the flames, while their way was barred by the sudden shoaling of the sea bottom and the litter of the mountain on the shore. He hesitated for a moment whether to turn back, and then, when the helmsman warned him to do so, he exclaimed, "Fortune favours the bold ; try to reach Pomponianus." The latter was at Stabiae, separated by the whole width of the bay, for the sea there pours in upon a gently rounded and curving shore. Although the danger was not yet close upon him, it was none the less clearly seen, and it travelled quickly as it came nearer, so Pomponianus had got his baggage together on shipboard, and had determined upon flight, and was waiting for the wind which was blowing on shore to fall. My uncle sailed in with the wind fair behind him, and embraced Pomponianus, who was in a state of fright, comforting and cheering him at the same time. Then in order to calm his friend's fears by showing how composed he was himself, he ordered the servants to carry him to the bath, and, after his ablutions, he sat down and had dinner in the best of spirits, or with that assumption of good spirits which is quite as remarkable as the reality. In the meantime broad sheets of flame, which rose high in the air, were breaking out in a number of places on Mount Vesuvius and lighting up the sky, and the glare and brightness seemed all the more striking owing to the darkness of the night. My uncle, in order to allay the fear of his companions, kept declaring that the country people in their terror had left their fires burning, and that the conflagration they saw arose from the blazing and empty villas. Then he betook himself to rest and enjoyed a very deep sleep, for his breathing, which, owing to his bulk, was rather heavy and loud, was heard by those who were waiting at the door of his chamber. But by this time the courtyard leading to the room he occupied was so full of ashes and pumice-stones mingled together, and covered to such a depth, that if he had delayed any longer in the bedchamber there would have been no means of escape. So my uncle was aroused, and came out and joined Pomponianus and the rest who had been keeping watch. They held a consultation whether they should remain indoors or wander forth in the open; for the buildings were beginning to shake with the repeated and intensely severe shocks of earthquake, and seemed to be rocking to and fro as though they had been torn from their foundations. Outside again there was danger to be apprehended from the pumice-stones, though these were light and nearly burnt through, and thus, after weighing the two perils, the latter course was determined upon. With my uncle it was a choice of reasons which prevailed, with the rest a choice of fears. They placed pillows on their heads and secured them with cloths, as a precaution against the falling bodies. Elsewhere the day had dawned by this time, but there it was still night, and the darkness was blacker and thicker than any ordinary night. This, however, they relieved as best they could by a number of torches and other kinds of lights. They decided to make their way to the shore, and to see from the nearest point whether the sea would enable them to put out, but it was still running high and contrary. A sheet was spread on the ground, and on this my uncle lay, and twice he called for a draught of cold water, which he drank. Then the flames, and the smell of sulphur which gave warning of them, scattered the others in flight and roused him. Leaning on two slaves, he rose to his feet and immediately fell down again, owing, as I think, to his breathing being obstructed by the thickness of the fumes and congestion of the stomach, that organ being naturally weak and narrow, and subject to inflammation. When daylight returned - two days after the last day he had seen - his body was found untouched, uninjured, and covered, dressed just as he had been in life. The corpse suggested a person asleep rather than a dead man. Meanwhile my mother and I were at Misenum. But that is of no consequence for the purposes of history, nor indeed did you express a wish to be told of anything except of my uncle's death. So I will say no more, except to add that I have given you a full account both of the incidents which I myself witnessed and of those narrated to me immediately afterwards, when, as a rule, one gets the truest account of what has happened. You will pick out what you think will answer your purpose best, for to write a letter is a different thing from writing a history, and to write to a friend is not like writing to all and sundry. Farewell.” 751 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 136. 192

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. “This lunar phenomenon is called an ensanguinal moon and depicts the deep copper color that the moon assumes during a total eclipse. Such an eclipse occurred on October 1, 69 AD.”752 ii. Wilson, citing K. Wellesley, reports this blood moon was a prodigy or prodigium. “This must surely be a portent of disaster and death. Seven days later Vitellius’ army was completely routed at the second Battle of Cremona, ensuring the accession of Vespasian as emperor.”753 2. 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 13 καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔπεσαν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὡς συκῆ βάλλει τοὺς ὀλύνθους αὐτῆς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου μεγάλου σειομένη, a. and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, i. Most certainly this is a metaphorical statement. If stars actually fell to earth, earth would be obliterated. ii. However, from the apocalyptic perspective of John, this language signals the end.754 b. as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 3. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 14 καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπεχωρίσθη ὡς βιβλίον ἑλισσόμενον, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ νῆσος ἐκ τῶν τόπων αὐτῶν ἐκινήθησαν. a. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, b. and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 4. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 15 καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες καὶ οἱ χιλίαρχοι καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι καὶ οἱ ἰσχυροὶ καὶ πᾶς δοῦλος καὶ ἐλεύθερος ἔκρυψαν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ σπήλαια καὶ εἰς τὰς πέτρας τῶν ὀρέων· a. Witherington notes, “We have here a sevenfold categorization of humanity, again a symbol of completeness and totality.”755 b. In contrasts to Witherington, Wilson is on task stating, “The seven groups mentioned in 6:15 approximately parallel the Roman social order.”756 Mounce argues John is emphasizing “that those who might normally have reason to feel secure will be utterly undone.”757 i. The kings of the earth (imperator, princeps, βασιλεῖς). ii. The great men (μεγιστᾶνες). iii. The commanders (tribuni militum, χιλίαρχοι). iv. The rich (senators, πλούσιοι). v. The strong (decuriones, ἰσχυρός). vi. The slave (servus, δοῦλος). vii. The free (plebs, ἐλεύθερος). 5. 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 16 καὶ

752 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 293. 753 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 293-94, Wellesley, K. The Long Year AD 69, 2nd ed. (Bristol: Bristol Classical Press, 1989), p. 140-41. 754 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 151. 755 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 136. 756 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 293. 757 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 152. 193

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 λέγουσιν τοῖς ὄρεσιν καὶ ταῖς πέτραις· Πέσετε ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς καὶ κρύψατε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου, a. and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, b. “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, c. and from the wrath of the Lamb; 6. 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” 17 ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ τίς δύναται σταθῆναι; a. for the great day of their wrath has come, b. and who is able to stand?” i. Wilson is correct when he indicates, “The Lamb who loved and shed his blood for the sins of his people (Revelation 1:5) is here described as the same Lamb whose wrath is so great that the wicked cannot stand against it.”758 ii. Witherington is on point when he states, “The natural disaster is preferable to facing the Lamb’s wrath.”759 c. 7. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Issues in interpretation are significant. a. “There is debate over whether the description is literal or figurative. If it is literal: i. The scene is that of the final dissolution of the cosmos (though some taking a literal view see the breakup of the earth as part of a long-drawn-out tribulation period. b. If the scene is figurative: i. It denotes some temporal judgment or the last judgment.”760 c. Beale states, “The likelihood is that the portrayal is figurative. Furthermore, the additionally formative texts of Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:25; and Acts 2:20, have the same figurative significance and are based on one or more of these five Old Testament texts. d. Mounce, citing Boring, “While this scene is not more to be taken literally than the rest of John’s metaphorical language, neither is it to be decoded in a ‘spiritual’ sense to refer to the fall of oppressive political and social structures as though John had only dressed up his expectations of a social revolution in apocalyptic language.”761 2. Philippians 2:9-11, “9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 3. Mounce states, “The wrath of God is a fundamental theme in New Testament teaching. It is both a present reality (Romans 1:18) and an eschatological event (Rev 19:15). It is neither personal vindictiveness nor an impersonal process of retribution that works itself

758 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 294. 759 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 136. 760 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 397. 761 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 150, citing Boring, 126-27. 194

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 out in the course of history. It is rather the ‘response of God’s holiness to persistent and impenitent wickedness.”762 4. Other

762 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 152. 195

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 7:1-3 1 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Μετὰ τοῦτο εἶδον τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τὰς τέσσαρας γωνίας τῆς γῆς, κρατοῦντας τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ πνέῃ ἄνεμος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μήτε ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης μήτε ἐπὶ πᾶν δένδρον. 2 καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον ἀναβαίνοντα ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου, ἔχοντα σφραγῖδα θεοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἀγγέλοις οἷς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἀδικῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, 3 λέγων· Μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὴν γῆν μήτε τὴν θάλασσαν μήτε τὰ δένδρα, ἄχρι σφραγίσωμεν τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 1 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. Μετὰ τοῦτο εἶδον τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τὰς τέσσαρας γωνίας τῆς γῆς, κρατοῦντας τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ πνέῃ ἄνεμος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μήτε ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης μήτε ἐπὶ πᾶν δένδρον. a. After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, i. Mounce reminds us that “In apocalyptic thought the forces of nature are often pictured as under the charge of angels. Later in Revelation we are introduced to ‘the angel in charge of the waters (16:5) and the angel “who had charge of the fire” (14:18).”763 1. Revelation 14:18, “Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 2. Revelation 16:5, “And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;” b. so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. i. Mounce insightful reminds us that “Trees are especially vulnerable to high winds and, caught in the maelstrom of a devastating storm, could picture the precarious nature of life on the face of the earth.”764 ii. Note the sirroco wind. According to Mounce, “In a semiarid land where vegetation withered easily, the sirocco – a hot wind from the southeast – came to play a part in the presentation of final destruction.”765

763 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 155. 764 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 156. 765 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 156. 196

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iii. Furthermore, Mounce notes, “Old Testament verses such as Isaiah 2:13; 14:8 and 61:3, in which trees are interpreted as people in the targums, have suggested that ‘tree’ in Rev. 7 may be taken metaphorically for those who dwell upon the earth (cf., Josephine Massyngberde Ford, p. 115).”766 1. Isaiah 2:12-13, “For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. 13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan,” 2. Isaiah 14:8, “Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’” 3. Isaiah 61:3, “To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” 4. See also Mark 8:22-26, “22 And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. 23 Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” 25 Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 26 And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” iv. Some scholars interpret this passage that John has “borrowed a Jewish apocalyptic source in which the people of Israel are protected from some calamity by receiving the seal of God upon their forehead, and has applied the material to the church as it enters the period of final turmoil upon the earth.”767 v. Mounce notes that the aorist tense verbs make it difficult to apply this to the church.768 vi. Other 2. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 2 καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον ἀναβαίνοντα ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου, ἔχοντα σφραγῖδα θεοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἀγγέλοις οἷς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἀδικῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, a. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, i. Possible interpretations: 1. Interpretation 1: A reference to Ezekiel 43:4, “where the glory of the Lord enters by the gate facing east (Ezekiel 43;4, “And the glory

766 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 156 n 7. 767 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 156. 768 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 156. 197

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east.”) 2. Interpretation 2: A reference to the Nativity story and the Wise Men who came from the east (Matthew 2:1). Regardless, “It is appropriate that the angel who seals the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel should come from the direction of Palestine.”769 3. b. having the seal of the living God; i. Mounce states, the seal is “probably a signet ring like that used by Oriental kings to authenticate and protect official documents.”770 ii. Beale argues that “what follows in 7:2 is sufficient to demonstrate that this angel is a harbinger of grace, since he has the ‘seal of the living God.’”771 c. and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, i. d. Other 3. 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond- servants of our God on their foreheads.” 3 λέγων· Μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὴν γῆν μήτε τὴν θάλασσαν μήτε τὰ δένδρα, ἄχρι σφραγίσωμεν τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν. a. “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until i. In this context, it would be difficult to associate trees as a metaphor for humans. See above. b. we have sealed the bond-servants of our God” i. Sealed (σφραγίσωμεν aorist active subjunctive of σφραγίζω). 1. Aune references the use of sealing and signet rings in ancient world and the practice of magic in both Jewish and the Greco-Roman world.772 Certainly, “The equation of the ‘name’ and the ‘seal’ as designations of membership in God’s covenant community is also confirmed by the similar equation in Exodus.”773 2. Other methods of sealing or identifying property was through marking, branding, and tattooing.774 3. Beale states the sealing “empowers the 144,000 to perform the witnessing role intended for true Israel (e.g., Isaiah 42:6-7; 49:6; 51:4-8).”775 ii. It is unlikely that the seal is a reference to baptism. iii. Writing briefly on the subject of Jewish burial practices and inscriptions on ossuaries, Ferguson notes, “The plus-and X-shaped crosses have been interpreted as the Hebrew letter taw, the sign of Yahweh in Ezekiel 9:4-ff, and thus perhaps of apotropaic significance to protect the bones of the deceased against demonic malevolence or a general expression of faith in

769 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 157. 770 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 157. 771 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 408. 772 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 453. 773 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 411. 774 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 455. 775 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 411. 198

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 deliverance through the use of the sign of God’s protection in Ezekiel’s vision (cf., Revelation 7:3).”776 iv. Hebrew writing has been classified as: 1. Early: 2000 BC. 2. Middle: 1000 BC. 3. Late: 400 BC. 4. Modern: current. v. See the following: 1. Ezekiel 9:3-8, “3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. 4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men777 who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple. 7 And He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city. 8 As they were striking the people and I alone was left, I fell on my face and cried out saying, “Alas, Lord God! Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?” vi. See the following texts in Revelation regarding God’s mark on His people: 1. Revelation 14:1, “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2. Revelation 22:3-4, “3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” vii. Other New Testament texts: 1. John 3:31-33, “31 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who

776 Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds to Early Christianity, 2nd ed (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), p. 555. 777 Keil and Delitzsch indicate “God commands the man provided with the writing materials to mark on the forehead with a cross all the persons in Jerusalem who mourn over the abominations of the nation, in order that they may be spared in the time of the judgment. The last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, had the form of a cross in the earlier writing.” See Keil, C. F. and F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol 9 Ezekiel and Daniel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1989), p. 129. Note, Mounce references Krodel, stating, “The sealing of God’s servants is based on Ezekiel 9, where God instructs a man with an inkhorn to place an X on the forehead of all those who are deeply troubled over the sins of Jerusalem in order to protect them from the judgment coming upon the city.” “The mark of Ezekiel 9:4 was the Hebrew tau, made like an X or +. Krodel notes that ‘to Greek Christians this sign would suggest the first letter of the name of Christ (the letter chi) or his cross” (182). 199

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.” 2. 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” c. on their foreheads i. “In antiquity, foreheads were often marked to designate slaves or devotees of a deity (3 Maccabees 2:29).”778 ii. See 3 Maccabees 3:28-30, “28 "None of those who do not sacrifice shall enter their sanctuaries, and all Jews shall be subjected to a registration involving poll tax and to the status of slaves. Those who object to this are to be taken by force and put to death; 29 those who are registered are also to be branded on their bodies by fire with the ivy-leaf symbol of Dionysus, and they shall also be reduced to their former limited status." 30 In order that he might not appear to be an enemy to all, he inscribed below: "But if any of them prefer to join those who have been initiated into the mysteries, they shall have equal citizenship with the Alexandrians." d. In my estimation, Revelation 7:3; Ezekiel 9:4; and Exodus 12 are interrelated. The idea of protection and Passover are repeated in many different ways throughout the Old Testament culminating in the New Testament with Jesus as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. e. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. “In our text the winds are held in check by the four angels until the servants of God are sealed.”779 2. Contrasting the Seal of God vs the Seal of Satan a. The Seal of God: i. Revelation 14:1, “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 1. The Lamb 2. God Himself ii. Revelation 22:3-4, “3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” b. The Seal of Satan: i. Revelation 13:16-18, “16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him

778 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 294. 779 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 155. 200

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” ii. Revelation 14:11, “11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 3. The Holy Spirit as the seal of God a. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, “21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” b. Ephesians 1:13-14, “13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” c. Ephesians 4:30, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” 4. Other

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 7:4-8 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:780 5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

4 Καὶ ἤκουσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐσφραγισμένων, ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες, ἐσφραγισμένοι ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· 5 ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα δώδεκα χιλιάδες ἐσφραγισμένοι, ἐκ φυλῆς Ῥουβὴν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Γὰδ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, 6 ἐκ φυλῆς Ἀσὴρ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Νεφθαλὶμ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Μανασσῆ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, 7 ἐκ φυλῆς Συμεὼν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Λευὶ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰσσαχὰρ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, 8 ἐκ φυλῆς Ζαβουλὼν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰωσὴφ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμὶν δώδεκα χιλιάδες ἐσφραγισμένοι.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

780 The head of the religious sect that has been at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea has apologised to the nation for the disease's spread. Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, got on his knees and bowed at a news conference. About 60% of the country's more than 4,000 confirmed cases are sect members. Deaths nationwide now stand at 28. Fatalities globally have now passed the 3,000 mark, although the vast majority are in China, where the outbreak began. Worldwide, there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases, with the numbers outside China now growing faster than inside China. Prosecutors in South Korea have been asked to investigate Mr Lee on possible charges of gross negligence. "Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected," said the 88-year-old leader. "We put our utmost efforts, but were unable to prevent it all." Of the confirmed cases, about 75% are from the southern city of Daegu and 73% of those have been linked to the Shincheonji Church. In the capital, Seoul, the mayor urged the city's 10 million residents to work from home and to avoid crowded places. Members of the fringe Christian group are believed to have infected one another and then travelled around the country, apparently undetected. The group has been accused of keeping its members' names secret, making it harder to track the outbreak. But church spokesman Kim Shin-chang told the BBC they had provided a list of members, students, and buildings to authorities. "We were worried about releasing this information because of the safety of our members," Mr Kim said. We're often persecuted": Spokesman for virus-hit S Korean church defends secrecy. Mr Lee claims he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and identifies as "the promised pastor" mentioned in the Bible who will take 144,000 people to heaven with him. The Shincheonji Church is labelled as a cult within South Korea and also in the Christian community, which results in the group often being discriminated against, persecuted or criticised, Mr Kim told the BBC. Source: http s://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51701039

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. Delineation of the twelve tribes experiencing the sealing: i. 5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, 1. from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, 2. from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, ii. 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, 1. from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, 2. from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, iii. 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, 1. from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, 2. from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, iv. 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, 1. from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, 2. from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed. b. Notice the language: i. And I heard (Καὶ ἤκουσα aorist active indicative of ἀκούω) ii. From the tribe (ἐκ φυλῆς). iii. Were sealed (ἐσφραγισμένοι, perfect passive participle of σφραγίζω) c. Who are the 144,000? i. Interpretation 1: Decades ago, the sectarian group known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, believed they were the exclusive people of God. A view that is doctrinally implausible. ii. Interpretation 2: The martyrs of Revelation 6. Mounce states Revelation 11 and the two witnesses supports this interpretation.781 These are “the martyrs under that altar seen in Revelation 6:9-11. Although the 144,000 are spared the divine wrath poured out in seals 1-4, they are not spared the persecution of the earth dwellers.”782 iii. Interpretation 3: These are a “literal reference to the nation Israel (who have yet to be converted to Jesus, cf., Aune’s statement that “7:4-8 is a proleptic audition of a future eschatological event”783).”784 Mounce states, “This interpretation seriously complicates the book of Revelation by bringing in racial distinctions that no longer exist in the New Testament purview. It disregards the historical fact that ten of the twelve tribes disappeared in Assyria, and the remaining two lost their separate identity when Jerusalem fell in AD 70.”785 iv. Interpretation 4: Jewish believers. “‘Twelve tribes’ is used as a figure of speech for Jewish Christians in James 1:1 (“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings”). Keener states, “The form of the text may suggest a census, usually used in the Hebrew Bible to assess military preparation (Num 1:3, 18, 29; 26:2, 4; 1 Chron. 27:23); this also explains the specification of adult males in 14:4.”786

781 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 159. 782 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 295. 783 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 460-61. 784 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 158. 785 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 158. 786 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 230. 203

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. The Jewish language of the text is undeniable. Caird argues, “The idea that the new Israel, like the Old, has twelve tribes, occurs elsewhere in the New Testament, and is apparently derived from a saying of Jesus (James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; cf., Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30).”787 See references: a. Matthew 19:27-28, “27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” b. Luke 22:28-30, “28 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” c. James 1:1, “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.” d. 1 Peter 1:1-2, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” Caird refers to 1 Peter 1:1 since it implies diaspora. e. 2. v. Interpretation 5: All Believers both Jew and Gentile. Consider the following arguments for this interpretation: 1. Keener states, “Those to be protected from God’s judgments are his ‘servants’ without qualification (7:3), who everywhere else in Revelation represent all believers or witnesses (Rev 1:1; 2:20; 6:11; 10:7; 11:18; 19:2, 5, 10; 22:3, 6, 9). If one takes their ethnicity literally, then on should also take the numbers and details literally. But if we do that, and if ‘servants’ represents all believers, then the total number of the genuinely saved through history are limited to 12,000 male Jewish virgins from each tribe.”788 If one takes the literal approach here, it because immediately becomes implausible. 2. The “seal on their foreheads (7:3; 14:1) also connects them with all believers (3:12; 22:4; cf., 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30)

787 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 95. 788 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 231-32. 204

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 and contrast them with all followers of the beast (Revelation 13:16- 17; 14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).”789 3. According to Keener, “The 144,000 do not fit the description of literal Israel. Already by John’s day most tribes were ‘missing,’ and while many Jews expected them to be restored, it has since become impossible to genuinely reconstruct from which tribes most Jewish people descended.”790 4. “Revelation emphasizes the Jewishness of all believers (cf., [Keener’s] comments on 1:20; 2:9).”791 5. Keener notes, “The rest of Revelation leads us to expect that the numbers are probably symbolic (twelve, the number of God’s people, squared, times ten cubed).”792 6. Mounce argues the 144,000 are “faithful believers about to enter the period of final testing.”793 Witherington argues, based on Revelation 9:4, “the 144,000 are coterminous with the total number of believers. Clearly enough, 144,000 is a symbolic number: 12 x 12 x 1000. Just as the twelve tribes equaled all of Israel and the twelve disciples equaled all of the first apostles, here is a symbolic number for the whole people of God.”794 They are described as “bond- servants of God” (7:3). “There is no conflict between these two figures since 144,000 simply means the whole or complete number of the people of God who will be sealed.”795 7. Keener concludes, “The 144,000 represent all those destined for the new Jerusalem. [These arguments] do weight the case significantly in favor of the 144,000 standing for all true believers in Jesus.”796 2. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Regarding the list of the twelve tribes, note: a. Judah is listed first probably because from this tribe came the Lion of Judah (cf., Rev 1:5; 5:5).797 b. John excludes Dan possibly because the tribe of Dan “and its early connections with idolatry (cf., Judges 18; 1 Kings 12:25-33) and later its association with the anti-Christ, and so Manasseh was substituted.”798 c. John includes Manasseh, the firstborn of Joseph but omits Ephraim.

GENESIS 35 DEUTERONOMY 27 REVELATION 7 1. Reuben 1. Reuben 1. Judah

789 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 232. 790 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 232. 791 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 232. 792 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 232. 793 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 160. 794 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 137. 795 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 137. 796 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 232. 797 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 137. 798 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 137. 205

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Simeon 2. Simeon 2. Reuben 3. Levi 3. Levi 3. Gad 4. Judah 4. Judah 4. Asher 5. Issachar 5. Issachar 5. Naphtali 6. Zebulun 6. Zebulun 6. Manasseh 7. Joseph 7. Simeon 7. Dan 8. Benjamin 8. Levi 8. Naphtali 9. Dan and 9. Issachar 10. Naphtali 9. Gad 10. Zebulun 11. Gad 10. Asher 11. Joseph 12. Asher 11. Benjamin 12. Benjamin 12. Joseph (later split into two "half-tribes": Ephraim and Manasseh

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 7:9-12 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

9 Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὄχλος πολύς, ὃν ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο, ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν καὶ λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν, ἑστῶτες ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, περιβεβλημένους στολὰς λευκάς, καὶ φοίνικες ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν· 10 καὶ κράζουσι φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες· Ἡ σωτηρία τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ. 11 καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι εἱστήκεισαν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων, καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ, 12 λέγοντες· Ἀμήν· ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 9 Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὄχλος πολύς, ὃν ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο, ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν καὶ λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν, ἑστῶτες ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, περιβεβλημένους στολὰς λευκάς, καὶ φοίνικες ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν· a. After these things I looked, b. and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, c. from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν καὶ λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν, d. standing before the throne and before the Lamb, i. God and the Lamb are the center of attention. e. clothed in white robes, f. and palm branches were in their hands; i. Wilson argues the palm branches are symbols of victory. “To the ancient Greeks and Romans the palm served as a symbol of victory. The Greek author Pausanius, provides background: ‘But at most games they use a wreath of palm, and everywhere the winner has a palm branch put in his right hand.”799 See Pausanius, Description of Greece. 8.48.2-3, “2 The reason why at Olympia the victor receives a crown of wild-olive I have already explained in my account of Elis; why at Delphi the crown is of bay I shall make plain later. At the Isthmus the pine, and at Nemea celery became the prize to commemorate the sufferings of Palaemon and Archemorus. At most games, however, is given a crown of palm, and at all

799 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 296. 207

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a palm is placed in the right hand of the victor. 3 The origin of the custom is said to be that Theseus, on his return from Crete, held games in Delos in honor of Apollo, and crowned the victors with palm. Such, it is said, was the origin of the custom. The palm in Delos is mentioned by Homer in the passage1 where Odysseus supplicates the daughter of Alcinous.”800 2. 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 10 καὶ κράζουσι φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες· Ἡ σωτηρία τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ. a. The writer is not suggesting that God needs to be saved. Rather, he is attributing the source of salvation as coming from God. 3. 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 11 καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι εἱστήκεισαν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων, καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ, a. Continued descriptions of the logical response of all created-heavenly beings to the reality of the worth of God and the Lamb. b. Note the posture on “falling on their faces” as an act of humility and submission. 4. 12 saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 12 λέγοντες· Ἀμήν· ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν. a. See comment above about descriptors for Roman emperors. b. This sentence is not only syndetonic but also uses the definite article with each descriptor. The lists of Revelation 4:11 and 5:12 does not feature “καὶ ἡ” but rather only καὶ. i. ἡ εὐλογία (the blessing) ii. καὶ ἡ δόξα (and the glory) iii. καὶ ἡ σοφία (and the wisdom) iv. καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία (and the thanksgiving) v. καὶ ἡ τιμὴ (and the honor) vi. καὶ ἡ δύναμις (and the power) vii. καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς (and the might) 5. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. The purest expressions of worship may include the ability to focus specifically on what is truly descriptive of our God. 2.

800 Pausanias. Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Source: http ://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3 A1999.01.0160%3 Abook%3D8%3 Achapter%3D48%3Asection%3D2 and D3 208

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 7:13-17 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

13 Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγων μοι· Οὗτοι οἱ περιβεβλημένοι τὰς στολὰς τὰς λευκὰς τίνες εἰσὶν καὶ πόθεν ἦλθον; 14 καὶ εἴρηκα αὐτῷ· Κύριέ μου, σὺ οἶδας. καὶ εἶπέν μοι· Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς μεγάλης, καὶ ἔπλυναν τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλεύκαναν αὐτὰς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου.15 διὰ τοῦτό εἰσιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ λατρεύουσιν αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σκηνώσει ἐπ’ αὐτούς. 16 οὐ πεινάσουσιν ἔτι οὐδὲ διψήσουσιν ἔτι, οὐδὲ μὴ πέσῃ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ὁ ἥλιος οὐδὲ πᾶν καῦμα, 17 ὅτι τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θρόνου ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς, καὶ ὁδηγήσει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ζωῆς πηγὰς ὑδάτων· καὶ ἐξαλείψει ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 13 Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγων μοι· Οὗτοι οἱ περιβεβλημένοι τὰς στολὰς τὰς λευκὰς τίνες εἰσὶν καὶ πόθεν ἦλθον; a. Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, b. “These who are clothed in the white robes, c. who are they, and where have they come from?” i. The question of location is typical of the honor-shame world of both Jews and the Greco-Romans. ii. Have they come (ἦλθον aorist active indicative of ἔρχομαι) 1. Note the aorist tense of the verb. 2. 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 14 καὶ εἴρηκα αὐτῷ· Κύριέ μου, σὺ οἶδας. καὶ εἶπέν μοι· Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς μεγάλης, καὶ ἔπλυναν τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλεύκαναν αὐτὰς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου. a. I said to him, “My lord, you know.” i. It is interesting that John does not attempt to answer the question, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” of 7:14. ii. John is deferring to his elder. This is certainly and honor-shame gesture of respect.801 b. And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς μεγάλης

801 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 297. 209

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Are (εἰσιν present active indicative of εἰμί). ii. Come out of (ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ present middle participle of ἔρχομαι). iii. great tribulation θλίψεως τῆς μεγάλης, 1. Beale argues Daniel 12:1 is “acknowledged as the likely origin for the idea of ‘the great tribulation.’”802 See Daniel 12:1, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” c. and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. i. They have washed (ἔπλυναν aorist active indicative of πλύνω). This is symbolic and spiritual in nature. Blood doesn’t make a garment white, it makes it red or dark brown. This is metaphorical language of the cleansing of the human soul. 3. 15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 15 διὰ τοῦτό εἰσιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ λατρεύουσιν αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σκηνώσει ἐπ’ αὐτούς. a. Will spread His tabernacle (σκηνώσει future active indicative σκηνόω). See usage at 2 Cor 5:1, 4. i. “The verb σκηνοῦν means ‘to live, dwell’ and suggests nothing about the mode of dwelling (i.e., whether in tense or houses, though τὸ σκῆνος means ‘tent,’ implying that the extent of time involved in such a dwelling is temporary.”803 ii. b. Ezekiel 37:27, “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” c. See Revelation 21:3, “3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,” d. Aune argues God’s presence is now unmediated and the literal feast of booths is not intended here.804 4. 16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 16 οὐ πεινάσουσιν ἔτι οὐδὲ διψήσουσιν ἔτι, οὐδὲ μὴ πέσῃ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ὁ ἥλιος οὐδὲ πᾶν καῦμα, 5. 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” 17 ὅτι τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θρόνου ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς, καὶ ὁδηγήσει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ζωῆς πηγὰς ὑδάτων· καὶ ἐξαλείψει ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. a. for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, i. The language of 7:16-17, is drawn from Isaiah 49:10, “They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who

802 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 433. 803 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 476. 804 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 476. 210

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 has compassion on them will lead them and will guide them to springs of water.” ii. The irony and beauty that the Lamb as though slain becomes a care-giving Shepherd is undeniable. This reflects His heart in the most precious and holy terms. 1. That the language of shepherding, watering, and protecting a flock is seen in John’s Gospel and the Revelation has been argued as demonstrating the documents have come from the same tradition.805 2. See John 10:11-15, “11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” b. and will guide them to springs of the water of life; i. Psalm 23. c. and God will wipe every tear from their eyes i. Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.” ii. Revelation 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Other

NOUTHETICS 1. RECAPITULATION The theory of recapitulation maybe seen in this text. As mentioned above, “Caird argues a version of the recapitulation theory, which suggests that we do not have three sets of seven judgments presented sequentially (for a total of twenty-one judgments presented in chronological order), but all three series present the entire process of judgment leading up to and culminating it the end of human history [is seen in Revelation 6-7].”806 2. THE CHURCH AND THE TRIBULATION a. Interestingly, the word rapture is not found in the book of Revelation. b. The general theological views: i. Pretribulationists believe “the rapture of the church will occur before the great tribulation. The catching up of John to heaven in Revelation 4:1 is seen as a type of the rapture.”807

805 Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), p. 95. 806 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 129. My emphasis. 807 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 297. 211

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Midtribulationists believe “the church will be on earth during the first half of the great tribulation, but at its midpoint after three and a half years the church will be raptured. Thus the church is spared the more severe judgments of divine wrath that will come upon the earth.”808 iii. Posttribulationists believe “the rapture will not occur until the great tribulation is over. Christians will be on earth during the judgments described in Revelation but will be protected, even as Israel was during the plagues that came upon Egypt.”809 This position is supported by Matthew 24:29-31. Erickson concludes the posttribulation position as the most probable.810 c. Scriptures: i. 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, “50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. “ ii. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” iii. Matthew 24:29-31, “29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 3. Rev 7:9-17 presents a scene that clearly indicates the end of human history and the beginning of the new heaven. The language demonstrating this includes: a. The innumerable host of Rev 7:9, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands.” The language used here doesn’t suggest an additional innumerable host will be entering heaven at a later date. The sense of finality is clear. b. Those who have come out of the Great Tribulation. So Ladd who states, this second scene depicts the believers as “a multitude after the tribulation. See past tense ref in 7:13. Rev 7:14, “I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The Great

808 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 297. 809 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 297. 810 Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 2nd ed (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), p. 1231. 212

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Tribulation is presented as a past event, not future (cf., Have they come (ἦλθον aorist active indicative of ἔρχομαι). c. The description of blessedness in Rev 7:15-17, “15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” See also Rev 21. d. Again, the sense of finality is clear. 4. The true emphasis of Revelation 7:9-17 is the worship of the Lord. 5. We do well to remember the words of Jesus, John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 6. Other

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 8:1-13 1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

1 Καὶ ὅταν ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν ἑβδόμην, ἐγένετο σιγὴ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ὡς ἡμιώριον. 2 καὶ εἶδον τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλους οἳ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἑστήκασιν, καὶ ἐδόθησαν αὐτοῖς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγες. 3 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἦλθεν καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἔχων λιβανωτὸν χρυσοῦν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ θυμιάματα πολλὰ ἵνα δώσει ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων πάντων ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν τὸ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου. 4 καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ καπνὸς τῶν θυμιαμάτων ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. 5 καὶ εἴληφεν ὁ ἄγγελος τὸν λιβανωτόν, καὶ ἐγέμισεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἐγένοντο βρονταὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ σεισμός. 6 Καὶ οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγας ἡτοίμασαν αὑτοὺς ἵνα σαλπίσωσιν. 7 Καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένετο χάλαζα καὶ πῦρ μεμιγμένα ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς γῆς κατεκάη, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν δένδρων κατεκάη, καὶ πᾶς χόρτος χλωρὸς κατεκάη. 8 Καὶ ὁ δεύτερος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ὡς ὄρος μέγα πυρὶ καιόμενον ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῆς θαλάσσης αἷμα, 9 καὶ ἀπέθανε τὸ τρίτον τῶν κτισμάτων τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, τὰ ἔχοντα ψυχάς, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρησαν. 10 Καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀστὴρ μέγας καιόμενος ὡς λαμπάς, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων. 11 καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀστέρος λέγεται· ὁ Ἄψινθος. καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῶν ὑδάτων εἰς ἄψινθον, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπέθανον ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτι ἐπικράνθησαν. 12 Καὶ ὁ τέταρτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐπλήγη τὸ τρίτον τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς σελήνης καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων, ἵνα σκοτισθῇ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα μὴ φάνῃ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἡ νὺξ ὁμοίως. 13 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἀετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι λέγοντος φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Οὐαὶ οὐαὶ οὐαὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν φωνῶν τῆς σάλπιγγος τῶν τριῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν μελλόντων σαλπίζειν.

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 INTRODUCTION 1. The great Passover story of Israel is depicted in the Book of Revelation. See material above and Revelation 8; 15:6. Witherington states, “The author obviously draws on the Exodus/Sinai traditions for his plagues but freely modifies them as he chooses.”811 2. According to Wilson, “These judgments have many similarities with the plagues of Egypt (see ‘The trumpet and Bowl Judgments and the Egyptian Plagues’ at 15:6).”812

EXEGESIS 1. 1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Καὶ ὅταν ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν ἑβδόμην, ἐγένετο σιγὴ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ὡς ἡμιώριον. a. When the Lamb broke the seventh seal b. Silence in heaven for about half an hour. i. “The Lamb’s opening of the seventh seal does not bring the anticipated Parousia, but instead heavenly silence.”813 ii. Mounce states, “The silence is neither a symbol of eternal rest nor a necessary precaution so God can hear the prayers of the suffering saints. It is a dramatic pause that makes even more impressive the judgments about to fall upon the earth.”814 iii. According to Wilson, “In the Old Testament silence is frequently a precursor of judgment (cf., Isaiah 41:1; Amos 8:3). During the final plague of the firstborn, the Israelites and their animals were commanded to remain silent (Exodus 11:7).”815 iv. See the following: 1. Exodus 11:7, “But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” 2. Isaiah 41:1, “Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, and let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment.” 3. Amos 8:3, “The songs of the palace will turn to wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence.” 4. Zechariah 2:13, “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.” v. According to Wilson, “Half an hour symbolizes as brief time and is the shortest period mentioned in Revelation.”816 2. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 2 καὶ εἶδον τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλους οἳ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἑστήκασιν, καὶ ἐδόθησαν αὐτοῖς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγες.

811 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 148. 812 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 301. 813 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 299. 814 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 170. 815 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 299. 816 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 299. 215

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, i. According to Jewish tradition (Tobit 12:15), “seven angels offer up the prayers of the saints as they enter before the glory of the Holy One.”817 ii. Mounce notes the names of the seven angels are listed in 1 Enoch 20:2-8, as Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Saraquel, Gabriel, and Remiel.”818 b. and seven trumpets were given to them. i. The trumpets here herald the judgment of God.819 3. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 3 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἦλθεν καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἔχων λιβανωτὸν χρυσοῦν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ θυμιάματα πολλὰ ἵνα δώσει ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων πάντων ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν τὸ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου. a. Another angel came and stood at the altar, b. holding a golden censer; i. A censer was a vessel used to hold and burn incense as an act of worship in the Old Testament.820 c. and much incense was given to him, i. Wilson states, “Incense was an integral part of worship in Israel’s tabernacle and temple. It was prepared according to an exact formula given by God: ‘Take fragrant spices – gum resin, onycha and galbanum – and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts and make a fragrant blend of incense (Exodus 30:34-35).”821 ii. See Luke 1:10-11, “10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.” d. so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 4 καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ καπνὸς τῶν θυμιαμάτων ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. a. And the smoke of the incense,

817 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 299. 818 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 172. 819 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 173. 820 the vessel in which incense was presented on "the golden altar" before the Lord in the temple (Exodus 30:1-9). The priest filled the censer with live coal from the sacred fire on the altar of burnt-offering, and having carried it into the sanctuary, there threw upon the burning coals the sweet incense (Leviticus 16:12 Leviticus 16:13), which sent up a cloud of smoke, filling the apartment with fragrance. The censers in daily use were of brass (Numbers 16:39), and miqtereth (2 Chronicles 26:19 ; Ezekiel 8:11): while those used – תֶרֶטְקִמ ,were designated by a different Hebrew name machtah meaning "something to take fire – הָתְּחַמ on the day of Atonement were of gold, and were denoted by a word with;" LXX. πυρεῗον = a fire-pan. Solomon prepared for the temple censers of pure gold (1 Kings 7:50 ; 2 Chr 4:22). The angel in the Apocalypse is represented with a golden censer ( Revelation 8:3 Revelation 8:5 ). Paul speaks of the golden censer as belonging to the tabernacle (Hebrews 9:4). The Greek word θυμιατήριον, here rendered "censer," may more appropriately denote, as in the margin of Revised Version, "the altar of incense." Paul does not here say that the θυμιατήριον was in the holiest, for it was in the holy place, but that the holiest had it, i.e., that it belonged to the holiest (1 Kings 6:22). It was intimately connected with the high priest's service in the holiest. The manner in which the censer is to be used is described in Numbers 4:14 ; Leviticus 16:12. Source: https: //www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/censer/ 821 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 300. 216

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. with the prayers of the saints, c. went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 5 καὶ εἴληφεν ὁ ἄγγελος τὸν λιβανωτόν, καὶ ἐγέμισεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἐγένοντο βρονταὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ σεισμός. a. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, b. and threw it to the earth; i. John may have in mind Ezekiel 10:2, “2 And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight.” c. and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. i. Wilson states, “Each of the judgment cycles of seals, trumpets (11:19), and bowls (16:18) ends with these same cosmological phenomena.”822 6. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 6 Καὶ οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγας ἡτοίμασαν αὑτοὺς ἵνα σαλπίσωσιν. a. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. i. “The use of seven trumpets to defeat God’s enemies is seen in the destruction of Jericho when the seven priests blew seven trumpets for seven days before its walls collapsed (Joshua 6:4-20).”823 ii. “The trumpet call, which signaled judgment, came to have special eschatological association with the Day of the Lord (Joel 3:1; Zeph. 1:16). Both Jesus and Paul declared that a trumpet will sound at the Second Coming.”824 7. 7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 7 Καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένετο χάλαζα καὶ πῦρ μεμιγμένα ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς γῆς κατεκάη, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν δένδρων κατεκάη, καὶ πᾶς χόρτος χλωρὸς κατεκάη. a. The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; b. and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. i. The concept of a third refers to divine perfection. c. This language is similar to Joel 2:19, “The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.” 8. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 8 Καὶ ὁ δεύτερος ἄγγελος

822 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 300. 823 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 301. 824 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 301. 217

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ὡς ὄρος μέγα πυρὶ καιόμενον ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῆς θαλάσσης αἷμα, a. The second angel sounded, b. and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, i. Wilson conjects John may have the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in mind. On August 24, AD 79, Mount Vesuvius “exploded, burying the coastal cities of Pompeii and Stabiae825 under lava and ashes and Herculaneum under mud.”826 ii. Witherington notes, “Jews had seen the eruption of Vesuvius as a judgment on Rome”827 for destroying Jerusalem.828 9. 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 9 καὶ ἀπέθανε τὸ τρίτον τῶν κτισμάτων τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, τὰ ἔχοντα ψυχάς, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρησαν. a. and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; b. and a third of the ships were destroyed 10. 10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 10 Καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀστὴρ μέγας καιόμενος ὡς λαμπάς, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων. a. The third angel sounded, b. and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, i. “Falling stars are an apocalyptic motif heralding disaster and death, and are mentioned four times in Revelation (6:13; 8:10; 9:1; 12:4).”829 c. and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters 11. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. 11 καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀστέρος λέγεται· ὁ Ἄψινθος. καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῶν ὑδάτων εἰς ἄψινθον, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπέθανον ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτι ἐπικράνθησαν. a. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, b. and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. i. “In the Old Testament bitter water come to symbolize disobedience, and wormwood was linked with judgment. After the Exodus, the Israelites came

825 “Stabiae, ancient town of Campania, Italy, on the coast at the eastern end of the Bay of Naples. It was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The modern city on the site is Castellammare di Stabia. Stabiae is part of the collective Torre Annunziata World Heritage site, designated by UNESCO in 1997. The town was originally settled by Oscan-speaking people, the native inhabitants of Campania. It entered the Social War (the “war of the allies” against Rome) in 90 BC and was destroyed by Sulla on April 30, 89 BC. Its territory was given to Nuceria as a reward for loyalty to Rome. The area was noted for the medicinal properties of its waters, and the neighbourhood became a popular locality for villas. During the eruption of AD 79, the Roman fleet commander and naturalist Pliny the Elder perished at Stabiae, near the villa of his friend Pomponianus. Stabiae’s inhabitants were spared from the rushing nuées ardentes (a type of pyroclastic flow) that overwhelmed the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum; nevertheless, the town was buried in heavy ashfall. Subsequent settlement was of minor importance.” Source: https ://www.britannica.com/place/Stabiae 826 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 301-02. 827 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 149. 828 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 179 n 17. 829 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 302. 218

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 to the spring of Marah and tried to drink its bitter water. Although the people grumbled against Moses, God provided a piece of word to sweeten the water before testing them to see if they would keep his commands (Exodus 15:23-25).”830 ii. Mounce conjects John “may be revealing divine displeasure against the rather widespread worship of supernatural spirits thought to be associated with rivers and springs.”831 12. 12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 12 Καὶ ὁ τέταρτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐπλήγη τὸ τρίτον τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς σελήνης καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων, ἵνα σκοτισθῇ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα μὴ φάνῃ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἡ νὺξ ὁμοίως. a. The fourth angel sounded, b. and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. i. Are these cosmological phenomena occurring to each star or is the view of these celestial objects blocked because of the previous judgments.832 1. See Exodus 10:21-23. ii. Does John have Joel 2:10 in mind, “Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.” 13. 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” 13 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἀετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι λέγοντος φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Οὐαὶ οὐαὶ οὐαὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν φωνῶν τῆς σάλπιγγος τῶν τριῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν μελλόντων σαλπίζειν. a. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, i. “Revelation portrays a typical Jewish cosmology with three heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2). 1. The upper heaven is revealed in Revelation 4:1. 2. The middle heaven is the home of the sun, mood, planets in Revelation 14:6; 19:17. 3. The lower heaven, the lowest atmospheric heaven is mentioned as clouds in Revelation 1:7.”833 ii. Other b. saying with a loud voice, c. Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, i. Wilson states, “Woe is typical prophetic language used to announce impending judgment.”834

830 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 303. 831 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 180-81. 832 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 303. 833 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 303. 834 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 303. 219

NOUTHETICS 1. If the same censer is used to burn incense which mingles with the prayers of the saints, which is then used to sprinkle fire on the earth, we may associate the prayers of the saints as prayers of judgment against the persecutors. 2. Interpretive challenges: a. Revelation 8:7 the grass is destroyed and yet, 9:4, says don’t hurt the grass. b. Revelation 8:10 says a great star will fall and yet, 6:13, says the stars had already fallen. c. 3. Other

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 9:1-12 1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

Καὶ ὁ πέμπτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ εἶδον ἀστέρα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεπτωκότα εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἡ κλεὶς τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου· 2 καὶ ἤνοιξεν τὸ φρέαρ τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ ἀνέβη καπνὸς ἐκ τοῦ φρέατος ὡς καπνὸς καμίνου μεγάλης, καὶ ἐσκοτώθη ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ τοῦ φρέατος. 3 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ ἐξῆλθον ἀκρίδες εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐταῖς ἐξουσία ὡς ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν οἱ σκορπίοι τῆς γῆς. 4 καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐταῖς ἵνα μὴ ἀδικήσουσιν τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ πᾶν χλωρὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν δένδρον, εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἵτινες οὐκ ἔχουσι τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων. 5 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα μὴ ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτούς, ἀλλ’ ἵνα βασανισθήσονται μῆνας πέντε· καὶ ὁ βασανισμὸς αὐτῶν ὡς βασανισμὸς σκορπίου, ὅταν παίσῃ ἄνθρωπον. 6 καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ζητήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν θάνατον καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπιθυμήσουσιν ἀποθανεῖν καὶ φεύγει ὁ θάνατος ἀπ’ αὐτῶν.

7 Καὶ τὰ ὁμοιώματα τῶν ἀκρίδων ὅμοια ἵπποις ἡτοιμασμένοις εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν ὡς στέφανοι ὅμοιοι χρυσῷ, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὡς πρόσωπα ἀνθρώπων, 8 καὶ εἶχον τρίχας ὡς τρίχας γυναικῶν, καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ὡς λεόντων ἦσαν, 9 καὶ εἶχον θώρακας ὡς θώρακας σιδηροῦς, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ὡς φωνὴ ἁρμάτων ἵππων πολλῶν τρεχόντων εἰς πόλεμον· 10 καὶ ἔχουσιν οὐρὰς ὁμοίας σκορπίοις καὶ κέντρα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἀδικῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μῆνας πέντε. 11 ἔχουσιν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν βασιλέα τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς ἀβύσσου· ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἑβραϊστὶ Ἀβαδδών καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ ὄνομα ἔχει Ἀπολλύων.

12 Ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ μία ἀπῆλθεν· ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται ἔτι δύο οὐαὶ μετὰ ταῦτα.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. Καὶ ὁ πέμπτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ

221

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 εἶδον ἀστέρα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεπτωκότα εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἡ κλεὶς τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου· a. and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth i. The “nuance of the perfect tense πεπτωκότα (‘had fallen’) is that John did not see the star fall but saw it after it had fallen and identifies it as such.”835 ii. Aune notes, “It becomes obvious that the ‘star’ is a supernatural being, i.e., an angel.”836 b. The key of the bottomless pit (ἄβυσσος) was given to him. i. Bottomless pit. 1. “The abyss was believed to be the underworld prison of evil spirits. The abyss was also considered [as] the realm of the dead.”837 Wilson notes, however, that “in Revelation the name Hades is used for the realm of the dead (cf., Rev 1:;18; 6:8; 20:13, 14), reflecting the Septuagint in which the Hebrew Sheol is translated by [as] ‘Hades’ rather than ‘Abyss.’”838 2. Luke 8:30-31, “30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31 They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.” ii. Given to him. 1. Notice the star is personified as a male (“given to him”). a. Him refers to the star and not the fifth angel.839 2. What or who is this star. Morris offers the following possible identifications:840 a. Nero (Weymouth). b. A fallen angel (Simcox, Love). c. An evil spirit (Kiddle). d. Satan (Hendrickson, Atkinson). e. Word of God (Torrence). f. An angel, possibly Uriel (Charles). g. Jesus Himself (Berkeley). 3. 2. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. a. He opened the bottomless pit (ἄβυσσος). i. Aune observes, “The term ἄ-βυσσος with the prefixed alpha privative, means ‘without depth, i.e., fathomless, boundless,” and was used to refer to the infinite void or subterranean region beneath the earth.”841 ii. Beale indicates, “As a result of Christ’s death and resurrection, the devil and his legions have begun to be judged, and now the effect of their

835 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 491. 836 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 525. 837 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 304. 838 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 304. 839 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 127. 840 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 127. 841 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 525. 222

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 judgment is about to be unleashed on unbelieving humanity, who give their ultimate allegiance to the devil.”842 b. and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; i. Furnaces in Antiquity. 1. Lime. “Furnaces were used in antiquity to burn limestone into lime. Limestone was stacked in concentric layers to form a dome. At the bottom was an opening to supply fuel for the fire, while the top contained a hole for air and smoke to escape.”843 2. Smelting ore. Furnaces used for smelting ore (iron) “required great and prolonged heat, and the fires produced thick, dark columns of smoke.”844 3. Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50 “41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And “49 So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 4. c. and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. i. Beale observes, “Throughout the New Testament, and especially in the Johannine corpus, darkness symbolizes spiritual blindness.”845 ii. According to Wilson, “An epitaph from Diogenes Laertius (3rd century A.D.), which describes the underworld as ‘the black abyss of Pluto,’ suggests a possible local reference [to Revelation 9:2]. Just north of Laodicea was the city of Hierapolis (cf., Colossians 4:13). The city was noted for its shaft to the underworld. The Sibyl – an ecstatic prophetess depicted as an aged woman – wrote from Egypt: ‘Hierapolis also, the only land that has mingled with Pluton.’ The patron deity of Hierapolis was Apollo and beneath his temple was the Plutonium, the dwelling place of Pluto, the god of the dead in Greek mythology. Strabo described the Plutonium’s entrance as ‘an opening of only moderate size, large enough to admit one man, but it reaches a considerable depth.’ Spewing from the shaft was a dense mist that brought immediate death to any living creature, such as livestock or bird, that happened into the opening. Only the local eunuch priests of Cybele were immune, but they survived only by holding their breath. In 1962, Italian archaeologists uncovered the entrance to the Plutonium during their

842 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 494. 843 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 304. 844 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 304-05. 845 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 494. 223

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 excavations. Because a strong smelling gas continues to be emitted, a sign at the entrance of the shaft warns would-be explorers: DANGER POISONOUS GAS.”846 d. Volcanic carbon dioxide. The principal components of volcanic gases are water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur either as sulfur dioxide (SO2) (high- temperature volcanic gases) or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) (low-temperature volcanic gases), nitrogen, argon, helium, neon, methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Other compounds detected in volcanic gases are oxygen (meteoric), hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen bromide, nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur hexafluoride, carbonyl sulfide, and organic compounds. Exotic trace compounds include mercury, halocarbons (including CFCs), and halogen oxide radicals.”847 3. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. a. A description of a swarm of locusts is featured here. b. Aune states, “These are demons in the guise of locusts, for their king is Abaddon, the angel of the abyss (v 11).”848 c. Morris notes “locusts formed the eight plague in Egypt (Exodus 10:12ff).”849 4. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. a. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, b. nor any green thing, nor any tree, c. but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

846 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 304. Hierapolis’s gateway to hell was an important sacred space in the city. The first-century traveler Strabo described its deadly properties: The Plutonium, below a small brow of the mountainous country that lies above it, is an opening of only moderate size, large enough to admit a man, but it reaches a considerable depth, and it is enclosed by a quadrilateral handrail, about half a plethrum in circumference, and this space is full of a vapour so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. Now to those who approach the handrail anywhere round the enclosure the air is harmless, since the outside is free from that vapor in calm weather, for the vapor then stays inside the enclosure, but any animal that passes inside meets instant death. At any rate, bulls that are led into it fall and are dragged out dead; and I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell. But the Galli, who are eunuchs, pass inside with such impunity that they even approach the opening, bend over it, and descend into it to a certain depth, though they hold their breath as much as they can (for I could see in their countenances an indication of a kind of suffocating attack, as it were)—whether this immunity belongs to all who are maimed in this way or only to those round the temple, or whether it is because of divine providence, as would be likely in the case of divine obsessions, or whether it is, the result of certain physical powers that are antidotes against the vapor (Strabo, Geography 13.4.14, trans. by Horace Leonard Jones). Source: https ://www.biblicalarchaeology. org/daily/news/hierapolis-and-the-gateway-to-hell/. See also the following: “New research published on Feb. 12 in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences suggests a far earthlier explanation to the cave’s mystery: noxious carbon dioxide. Using a portable gas analyzer, volcano biologist Hardy Pfanz led a team of scientists to discover that vapors emitted from the mouth of the cave — belched from a fissure running deep beneath the area— reached levels of 4% to 53% volcanic carbon dioxide, depending on the distance from the ground. The lower to the cave floor, the higher the amount of suffocating gas, which formed a lethal lake of carbon dioxide. (The noxious gas is heavier than oxygen, so it settles lower, which is one reason CO₂ leaks in your house make basements deadly.) Animals with noses to the ground likely breathed in far more gas than the humans walking upright beside them, which could explain the priests’ miraculous imperviousness.” Source: https ://time.com/5171047/turkey-gate-to-hell- pamukkale-hierapolis/ 847 https ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_gas 848 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 527. 849 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 128. 224

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. “This refers the reader back to 7:2-8 and makes it explicit that the purpose of sealing is that of protection.”850 ii. The “motif of protection is central in the sealing episode in Ezekiel 9:3-8, as it is in Pss. Sol. 15:4-9, a passage that expands on Ezekiel 9 and contrasts the mark of God with the mark of destruction.”851 iii. This verse is understood by many to indicate the church has already been raptured or at least is protected from this series of judgments. iv. Beale states, “…these devilish beings cause events that remind the ungodly that they are separated from the living God. Such reminders induce fear and despair as people are forced to reflect on their hopeless situation. Just as the plagues did not harm the Israelites 5. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. a. And they were not permitted to kill anyone. i. Morris reminds us of the limitation of evil, “The demons can exercise only that power that is given them.”852 b. Torment for five months i. Wilson argues “the period of time indicates incompleteness: God is not yet ready for his judgment to be terminal.”853 ii. However, Morris points out, this is the average lifespan of a locust is about five months.854 So Aune, who notes, locusts ‘hatched in the spring and die at the end of summer.”855 c. the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. i. “Numerous species of arachnids are found throughout the eastern Mediterranean region. Their poisonous venom kills the insects and spiders upon which they feed but, while painful to humans, rarely kills them.” ii. During the second century BC, the following was written in the book the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach (Sirach 39:28-30), “28 There be spirits that are created for vengeance, which in their fury lay on sore strokes; in the time of destruction they pour out their force, and appease the wrath of him that made them. 29 Fire, and hail, and famine, and death, all these were created for vengeance; 30 Teeth of wild beasts, and scorpions, serpents, and the sword punishing the wicked to destruction.”856

850 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 530. 851 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 530. 852 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 129. 853 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 305. 854 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 129. https ://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/locusts/ 855 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 530. 856 Ecclesiasticus, also called the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, deuterocanonical biblical work (accepted in the Roman Catholic canon but noncanonical for Jews and Protestants), an outstanding example of the wisdom genre of religious literature that was popular in the early Hellenistic period of Judaism (3rd century BC to 3rd century AD). This book appeared in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, though it was later rejected as apocryphal by Jews. Like other major wisdom books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, and Wisdom of Solomon), Ecclesiasticus contains practical and moral rules and exhortations, frequently arranged according to subject matter, e.g., hypocrisy, generosity, filial respect. Wisdom, personified as Sophia, or Lady Wisdom, delivers an extended discourse on her eternal relationship with God (chapter 24) and is identified with the Mosaic Law. It was written in 225

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 6. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. a. See Job 3:20-22, “Why is light given to him who suffers, and life to the bitter of soul, 21 Who long for death, but there is none, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, 22 Who rejoice greatly, and exult when they find the grave? b. See also Job 7:15; Isaiah 2:19-20; Jeremiah 8:3; Luke 23:20; Revelation 6. c. Beale is on point, “The Exodus plagues demonstrated that the gods of Egypt were false and that Yahweh was the only true God.”857 7. 7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. a. Beale argues, “The use of ‘likeness’ [appearance] ὁμοιώματα and the repeated ‘like’ ὅμοια in vv 7-10 expresses the inability of John to describe precisely what he has seen.”858 b. Wilson argues, “The uncanny resemblance of locusts to horses was proverbial in antiquity: ‘They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry’ (Joel 2:4). Hence their arrival was likened to that of an enemy army (Rev 9:5). Joel is a key source for John’s description of the locusts. An army of locusts ‘has the teeth of a lion’ (Joel 1:6), and they make a noise ‘like that of chariots’ (2:5).”859 Aune suggests the phrase teeth of a lion “is proverbial and something irresistibly and fatally destructive.”860 c. Morris states, “John is not describing the appearance of any naturally occurring insect, but of certain demons.”861 Beale argues, “The attempt to find the dominant model for the locusts in modern warfare instead of Old Testament imagery is hermeneutically misguided.”862 For example, these demonic creatures are actually depictions of US Apache assault helicopter or Russian MI-24 or MI-28 assault helicopter. d. Beale states, “the depiction in Revelation 9:7-10 emphasizes that the demons are fierce and horrific beings that affect people in a fierce, horrific and destructive manner.”863

Hebrew in Palestine around 180–175 BC by Ben Sira, who was probably a scribe well-versed in Jewish law and custom. Source: http s://www.britannica.com/topic/Ecclesiasticus 857 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 498. 858 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 499. 859 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 305. 860 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 532. 861 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 130. 862 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 500. 863 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 499. 226

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 e. Iron breastplates “is a general description of part of the armor of a soldier (or battle horse; cf., 39:19-20; targ. Nahum. 3:17 likens the scaled armor of Assyrian soldiers to the scaled thoraxes of locusts).”864 f. Verse nine may give us an interpretive clue to the locust. It may be a reference to the Egyptian army in pursuit of fleeing Israel in Exodus. i. See Exodus 14:5-12, “5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly. 9 Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we spoke to you

864 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 501. Note: “Tributary kings, and hired officers, as some think, who might be distinguished by what they wore on their heads; or their own princes and nobles, who wore coronets or diadems; unless their religious persons are meant, their Nazarites and devotees, their priests; these were like locusts for their number, fear, and flight in time of danger, and for their spoil of the poor; and some locusts have been seen with little crowns on their heads, as those in (Revelation 9:7) "which had on their heads as it were crowns like gold". In the year 1542 came locusts out of Turkish Satmatia into Austria, Silesia, Lusatia, and Misnia, which had on their heads little crowns F5. In the year 1572 a vehement wind brought large troops of locusts out of Turkey into Poland, which did great mischief, and were of a golden colour; and Aelianus F7 speaks of locusts in Arabia, marked with golden coloured figures; and mention is made in the Targum on (Jeremiah 51:27) , of the shining locust, shining like gold: and thy captains as the great grasshoppers; or "locusts of locusts"; those of the largest size. The Vulgate Latin renders the word for captains "thy little ones", junior princes, or officers of less dignity and authority; these were, as the Targum paraphrases it, as the worms of locusts; but rather as the locusts themselves, many and harmful: which camp in the hedges in the cold day; in the cold part of the day, the night; when they get into the hedges of fields, gardens, and vineyards, in great numbers, like an army, and therefore said to encamp like one: [but] when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they [are]; whither they are fled, as the Targum; so these captains, or half pay officers, swarmed in great numbers about the city, and in the provinces, while it was a time of peace, and they were indulged in sloth, and enjoyed much ease and prosperity; but when war broke out, and the heat of it began to be felt, these disappeared, and went into their own countries, from whence they came, with the auxiliaries and hired troops; nor could they be found where they were, or be called upon to do their duty: this is true of locusts in a literal sense, who flee away when the sun rises; hence the Arabs, as Bochart says elegantly express this by the word "ascaara"; signifying, that when the sun comes to the locust it goes away, According to Macrobius, both Apollo and Hercules are names for the sun; and both these are surnamed from their power in driving away locusts: Hercules was called Cornopion by the Oeteans, because he delivered them from the locusts: and Apollo was called Parnopius by the Grecians, because, when the country was hurt by locusts, he drove them out of it, at Pausanias relates; who observes, that they were drove out they knew, but in what manner they say not; for his own part, he says, he knew them thrice destroyed at Mount Sipylus, but not in the same way; one time a violent wind drove them out; another time a prodigious heat killed them; and a third time they perished by sudden cold; and so, according to the text here, the cold sends them to the hedges, and the heat of the sun obliges them to abandon their station.” Source: https ://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/nahum- 3-17.html 227

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 8. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. a. They have as king over them i. This king is “the leader of the demonic hordes.”865 b. the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. i. Wilson notes, “The two names given the ruler here suggest that John and part of his audience were bilingual.”866 1. Abaddon (avad-dōn): This Hebrew word means destruction and is closely linked with Sheol (death; Job 26:6; Prov 15:11).867 2. Apollyon, a term that is a Greek equivalent to Abaddon.868 Wilson observes this word has been “understood to be a word play on the god Apollo in his role as destroyer.”869 3. Some interpreter’s use this reference to Apollyon as a clue for the early dating of the book of Revelation, placing it at the time of Nero whose patron deity was Apollo.870 4. Nero was hailed as ‘“our Apollo’ and had a coin struck depicting himself in the guise of Apollo playing a lyre.”871 5. Morris is correct, “What the Greek worshipped as a god was not more than a demon.”872 ii. Beale argues, “The ‘Destroyer’ in Revelation 9:11 is either the devil himself or an evil representative of the devil; either alternative receives confirmation from Jewish exegetical tradition on Exodus. Revelation 12:3-4 and 13:1ff are compatible with this conclusion, since there the devil and the Beast respectively are pictured wearing royal diadems and leading evil forces.”873 9. 12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things. a. “So significant is this that the events in question are now characterized as woes rather than described as trumpets.”874 10. Other

NOUTHETICS

865 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 131. 866 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 305. 867 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 305. 868 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 131. 869 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 305. 870 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 305. 871 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 872 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 131. 873 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 503. 874 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 131. 228

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 9:13-21 13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

13 Καὶ ὁ ἕκτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν μίαν ἐκ τῶν κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ χρυσοῦ τοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ, 14 λέγοντα τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀγγέλῳ, ὁ ἔχων τὴν σάλπιγγα· Λῦσον τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους τοὺς δεδεμένους ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ μεγάλῳ Εὐφράτῃ. 15 καὶ ἐλύθησαν οἱ τέσσαρες ἄγγελοι οἱ ἡτοιμασμένοι εἰς τὴν ὥραν καὶ ἡμέραν καὶ μῆνα καὶ ἐνιαυτόν, ἵνα ἀποκτείνωσιν τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων.16 καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν στρατευμάτων τοῦ ἱππικοῦ δισμυριάδες μυριάδων· ἤκουσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν. 17 καὶ οὕτως εἶδον τοὺς ἵππους ἐν τῇ ὁράσει καὶ τοὺς καθημένους ἐπ’ αὐτῶν, ἔχοντας θώρακας πυρίνους καὶ ὑακινθίνους καὶ θειώδεις· καὶ αἱ κεφαλαὶ τῶν ἵππων ὡς κεφαλαὶ λεόντων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν ἐκπορεύεται πῦρ καὶ καπνὸς καὶ θεῖον.18 ἀπὸ τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων ἀπεκτάνθησαν τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευομένου ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν. 19 ἡ γὰρ ἐξουσία τῶν ἵππων ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν ἐστιν καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν· αἱ γὰρ οὐραὶ αὐτῶν ὅμοιαι ὄφεσιν, ἔχουσαι κεφαλάς, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἀδικοῦσιν. 20 Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ οὐκ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν ταῖς πληγαῖς ταύταις, οὐδὲ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ προσκυνήσουσιν τὰ δαιμόνια καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χαλκᾶ καὶ τὰ λίθινα καὶ τὰ ξύλινα, ἃ οὔτε βλέπειν δύνανται οὔτε ἀκούειν οὔτε περιπατεῖν, 21 καὶ οὐ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν φόνων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν φαρμάκων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν κλεμμάτων αὐτῶν.

INTRODUCTION 1. Mounce states, “Nowhere will you find a more accurate picture of sinful humanity pressed to the extreme. One would think that the terrors of God’s wrath would bring rebels to their knees. Not so. Past the point of no return, they respond to greater punishment with increased rebellion. Such is sinful nature untouched and unmoved by mercies of God.”875

EXEGESIS 1. 13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

875 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 193. 229

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. Mounce suggests the voice “could be that of the angel-priest of 8:3-5 who presented the prayers of the saints to God upon the golden altar.”876 b. Witherington suggest the voice from the horns of the golden altar, “where the sacrificial blood was applied, suggests that it is the voice of the martyrs.”877 2. 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” a. The four angels i. These angels are contrasted against the four angels assigned to hold back the wind in Revelation 7:1. These angels are “released to destroy a third of humanity.”878 b. Bound i. On assignment c. Great river Euphrates i. “The Euphrates and Tigris were the two great rivers of Mesopotamia. Both were headwaters into which the river in the garden of Eden flowed (Genesis 2:14).”879 According to Genesis 2:10, note the following, “Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.” ii. Wilson notes, “The river drains a course of 1,780 miles before entering into the Persian Gulf.”880 iii. “In the first century the Euphrates River marked the eastern frontier of the Roman empire.”881 iv. “In Revelation the east is the direction from which both redemption (7:2) and destruction (9:14; 16:12) come.”882 v. According to Mounce, “The Euphrates marked the boundary between Israel and her chief enemies.”883 Wilson states, “In the Old Testament Israel’s eschatological enemy likewise came from the east (Isaiah 41:2; 46:11) or from the north (Jeremiah 6:1, 22; Ezekiel 38:6).”884 vi. Witherington is on point stating, not only were the Romans afraid of the Parthian hordes, but also the Jews. The captors of the Jews came from the east, “both Babylonians and Assyrians [which came] from beyond the Euphrates.”885 vii. “The southernmost ford was at Zeugma (‘bridge’; near Birecik, Turkey), where the Romans stationed a legion during the 60s. Here was the most likely place where an army from the east would be mobilized to cross [the Euphrates River].”886

876 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 193. 877 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. 878 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 879 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 880 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 881 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 882 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 883 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 194. 884 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 885 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. 886 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 230

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 3. 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. a. And the four angels, b. who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, i. The specificity here is striking. ii. Mounce argues, “The four angels are said to have been kept ready for this specific moment. The use of the perfect tense strengthens the idea of their existing in a state of readiness.”887 c. were released, d. so that they would kill a third of mankind. 4. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. a. Wilson indicates, “The size of this demonic army is literally a double myriad of myriads, 2 x 10,000 x 10,000. The numerical background for this huge number is from the lyric to a song found in Daniel 7:9-10, “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. 10 “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.”888 b. Witherington states, this number is larger than “the entire population of those who lived in the Mediterranean crescent.”889 c. “The number is probably to be understood figuratively as an innumerable host.”890 John is describing “an eschatological event of fantastic proportions.”891 5. 17 And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. a. “Armored cavalry developed in the Middle East in the 9th or 10th centuries B.C. The Parthians favored armored horses and riders (kataphraktoi) in warfare, and used them in 53 B.C. to defeat the Romans near the Euphrates at Carrhae (Haran [Genesis 12:4-5]; Harran, Turkey).”892 b. “By the first century A.D., the Romans had their own mounted cavalry, and such troops were used in Judea during the Jewish revolt. The armored breastplates of the cataphracts consisted of either mail or scale shirts.”893

887 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 195. 888 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 889 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. 890 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 891 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 194. 892 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 893 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 306. 231

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 c. Witherington states, “It may be more than a coincidence that Parthians did ride horses with breastplates, indeed brightly colored breastplates.”894 Mounce states, “The breastplates were of red (fire), blue (hyacinth), and yellow (sulfur).”895 d. Mounce posits, “John at this point is recounting a vision given to him in the Spirit, not describing a Parthian invasion.”896 6. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. a. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, i. This language points to the recapitulation theory. See Rev 8. b. by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone i. Cf., the imagery of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. c. which proceeded out of their mouths. i. Mounce states, “It does not symbolize the tanks, cannons, and battleships of modern warfare.”897 7. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. a. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; i. Witherington posits this language is a reference to the threat of the Parthians. “That the horses are harmful before and behind may also be reminiscent of the Parthians, who shot both going forward and turning around facing backward.”898 b. for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. i. Witherington notes, “Satan is called the old serpent (Revelation 12:9).”899 ii. “The use of the snake simile in 9:19 suggests that the ‘horses’ are demonic beings, whose purposes are to make a hell on earth for the earth dwellers.”900 c. Mounce states, “Fire-breathing monsters were common in mythology. John’s source is probably Leviathan, the sea monster of Job 41 (“Firebrands stream from his mouth… Smoke pours from his nostrils,” vv. 19-20).”901 8. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

894 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. See Horace, Epistles, 2.1.112, “One moment hot with enthusiasm for athletes, Then horses, mad for workers in ivory, marble, bronze: Mind and vision enraptured by painted panels, Crazy now for flute-players, now for tragic actors:” Source: https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/HoraceEpistlesBkIIEpI.php#anchor_Toc98154293 895 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 196. 896 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 194. 897 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 196. 898 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154-55. Note: Constant threat of invasion by the Parthians (threat from the East, i.e., Iran region), known for their splendid horses and their skill in cavalry battle which featured the tactical move of pretending flight and shooting backwards (Cf., a “Parthian Shot”) which reinforced Rome’s need to settle any disturbance quickly. Plurality of religions was commonplace. Magic and astrology were enormously popular even among the educated. Wearing protective amulets was common, as was casting of curses. 899 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. 900 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 307. 901 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 197. 232

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. A third of mankind was killed. b. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues i. This is once again, language hinting at the Exodus story. c. The remain two thirds did not repent of the works of their hands. These works are described as: i. Worship demons 1. This surely is a reference to pagan worship in general. “The use of witchcraft and potions was part and parcel of pagan religion.”902 ii. Worship idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. 1. See Isaiah 37:18-20, “18 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 20 Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God.” 2. Isaiah 44:18-20, “18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” iii. Wilson notes, “This is the first of three vice lists found in Revelation (21:8; 22:15).”903 d. which can neither see nor hear nor walk; e. 21 and they did not repent i. Repent (μετενόησαν aorist active indicative of μετανοέω). ii. of their murders iii. nor of their sorceries 1. “Magical arts comes from the Greek word pharmakon, from which the English word pharmacy is derived. Except for Paul’s inclusion of it among the works of the flesh (‘witch-craft,’ NIV; Gal 5:20), the pharm- word group is used exclusively in Revelation (cf., 18:23; 21:8; 22:15). To alter one’s fate and to protect oneself against evil spirits, the Greeks and Romans employed magical practices. Ephesus was known for its magical arts and for its ‘Ephesians letters’ – written magical spells believed to provide power to ward off evil spirits. Some of the Ephesian church had probably once practiced the magical arts and, following their conversion, were among those who had burned their occult scrolls publicly (Acts 19:19).”904

902 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 155. 903 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 307. 904 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 307. 233

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Witherington states, “Pharmakon probably refers to the use of magical charms to achieve some end.”905 3. Practiced throughout the Greco-Roman world, the magical arts were centric to the pagan belief system of the culture in John’s day. “People would often curse their enemies by writing the victim’s name on a lead tablet, consecrate him or her to the spirits of the underworld, and then stick a long nail through the name. In one such inscription, a chariot driver cursed his opponents, asking that both the horses and the drivers be killed. Lovers used special charms to attract the object of their affection. Two popular forms of divination were augury, which is the interpretation of a divine message given by the flight pattern or eating habits of birds, and extispicium, which is the interpretation of signs found in the entrails of sacrificial animals. Divination was employed to undertake every activity of life, form getting married to going to war. This common practice, however, is repeatedly denounced in Revelation.”906 iv. nor of their immorality 1. This may refer to sexual immorality in general or to sexual immorality associated with pagan worship. v. nor of their thefts. f. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. If Witherington is correct, God does listen the voices of the martyrs, His ear is attuned to their blood that cries out for judgment against their persecutors. 2. Regarding the authority of angels, Witherington states, “The point is that God allows evil but uses it for His just purposes – He makes the wrath of even Satan to serve Him.”907 3. Would the Holy Spirit lead John in seeing visions that are completely unlike or like any natural or political-historical events that did or were happening in John’s day? 4. The language of 20-21 is not unlike the decalogue. So Mounce who notes, “Three of the four are fundamental vices prohibited in the Ten Commandments (sixth, seventh, and eighth; Exodus 20:3-17).”908 5. Do we substitute things for the power of God? 6. Citing Caird, Witherington mentor, “evil has a human face like the locusts; even human evil may be guided and goaded by supernatural evil.”909

905 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 155. 906 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 307-08. 907 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. 908 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 198. 909 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 154. See G. B. Caird, Revelation (1998), pp. 121-23. 234

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 10 I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; 2 and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; 3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. 4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. 8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. 11 And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, περιβεβλημένον νεφέλην, καὶ ἡ ἶρις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὡς στῦλοι πυρός, 2 καὶ ἔχων ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ βιβλαρίδιον ἠνεῳγμένον. καὶ ἔθηκεν τὸν πόδα αὐτοῦ τὸν δεξιὸν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸν δὲ εὐώνυμον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, 3 καὶ ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ὥσπερ λέων μυκᾶται. καὶ ὅτε ἔκραξεν, ἐλάλησαν αἱ ἑπτὰ βρονταὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν φωνάς. 4 καὶ ὅτε ἐλάλησαν αἱ ἑπτὰ βρονταί, ἤμελλον γράφειν· καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγουσαν· Σφράγισον ἃ ἐλάλησαν αἱ ἑπτὰ βρονταί, καὶ μὴ αὐτὰ γράψῃς. 5 καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος, ὃν εἶδον ἑστῶτα ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἦρεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τὴν δεξιὰν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, 6 καὶ ὤμοσεν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ὃς ἔκτισεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, ὅτι χρόνος οὐκέτι ἔσται· 7 ἀλλ’ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἑβδόμου ἀγγέλου, ὅταν μέλλῃ σαλπίζειν, καὶ ἐτελέσθη τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς εὐηγγέλισεν τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δούλους τοὺς προφήτας. 8 Καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἣν ἤκουσα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πάλιν λαλοῦσαν μετ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ λέγουσαν· Ὕπαγε λάβε τὸ βιβλίον τὸ ἠνεῳγμένον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῦ ἑστῶτος ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 9 καὶ ἀπῆλθα πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον λέγων αὐτῷ δοῦναί μοι τὸ βιβλαρίδιον. καὶ λέγει μοι· Λάβε καὶ κατάφαγε αὐτό, καὶ πικρανεῖ σου τὴν κοιλίαν, ἀλλ’ ἐν τῷ στόματί σου ἔσται γλυκὺ ὡς μέλι. 10 καὶ ἔλαβον τὸ βιβλαρίδιον ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου καὶ κατέφαγον αὐτό, καὶ ἦν ἐν τῷ στόματί μου ὡς μέλι γλυκύ· καὶ ὅτε ἔφαγον αὐτό, ἐπικράνθη ἡ κοιλία μου. 11 Καὶ λέγουσίν μοι· Δεῖ σε πάλιν προφητεῦσαι ἐπὶ λαοῖς καὶ ἔθνεσιν καὶ γλώσσαις καὶ βασιλεῦσιν πολλοῖς.

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 INTRODUCTION 1. Mounce notes, “The three sevenfold visions of Revelation are the seal (chapter 6), the trumpets (chapters 8-9), and the bowls (chapter 16). Between the sixth and seventh seal there was an interlude consisting of two visions - the sealing of the 144,000 (7:1-8) and the heavenly multitude (7:9-17). The seventh seal was followed by a second sevenfold vision, that of the trumpets.”910 2. In Chapter 10, “we encounter an interlude of two related visions – the angel with the little book (10:1-11) and the two witnesses (11:1-13). These interludes are not so much pauses in a sequence of events as they are literary devices by which the church is instructed concerning its role and destiny during the final period of world history.”911 3. Mounce argues, “There will be no corresponding interlude between the sixth and seventh bowl judgments (the final series yet to come) because at that time all warning and preliminary judgment will be over. When the bowls of divine wrath are poured out, the consummation moves quickly to its climax.”912

EXEGESIS 1. I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; a. I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, b. clothed with a cloud; c. and the rainbow was upon his head, d. and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; i. Wilson notes, it is possible an illusion to “the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world” is in the background here.913 ii. “Chares of Lindos cast this 110-foot statue from bronze around 282 B.C. It depicted the sun god Helios, whose rayed head is also seen on Rhodian coins of this period. The medieval image of his legs spanning the entrance to the harbor is incorrect. Wherever this statue stood at Rhodes, its gleaming bronze legs, resembling fiery pillars, stood visible to land and sea. In 227 B.C., an earthquake toppled the Colossus breaking it at its knees. The fame of the Colossus was still widely recognized in the first century A.D., as both Pliny the Elder and Strabo comment on its extraordinary size.”914 1. Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 34.40, “Still, however, human industry has not failed to employ iron for perpetuating the honours of more civilized life. The artist Aristonidas, wishing to express the fury of Athamas subsiding into repentance, after he had thrown his son Learchus from the rock, blended copper and iron, in order that the blush of shame might be more exactly expressed, by the rust of the iron making its appearance through the shining substance of the copper; a statue which still exists at Rhodes. There is also, in the

910 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 199. 911 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 199. 912 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 198. 913 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 308. 914 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 308. 236

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 same city, a Hercules of iron, executed by Alcon, the endurance displayed in his labours by the god having suggested the idea. We see too, at Rome, cups of iron consecrated in the Temple of Mars the Avenger, Nature, in conformity with her usual benevolence, has limited the power of iron, by inflicting upon it the punishment of rust; and has thus displayed her usual foresight in rendering nothing in existence more perishable, than the substance which brings the greatest dangers upon perishable mortality.”915 2. Strabo, Geography 14.2.5, “Their political constitution and laws were excellent, and the care admirable with which they administered affairs of state generally, and particularly those relative to their marine. Hence being for a long period masters of the sea, they put an end to piracy, and became allies of the Romans, and of those kings who were well affected to the Romans and the Greeks; hence also the city was suffered to preserve her independence, and was embellished with many votive offerings. These are distributed in various places, but the greatest part of them are deposited in the Dionysium and in the gymnasium. The most remarkable is the Colossus of the Sun, which, the author of the iambics says, was “‘seventy cubits in height, the work of Chares of Lindus.’” It now lies on the ground, having been thrown down by an earthquake, and is broken off at the knees. An oracle prohibited its being raised again. This is the most remarkable of the votive offerings, and it is allowed to be one of the seven wonders of the world. There were also the pictures by Protogenes, the Ialysus, and the Satyr, who was represented standing by a pillar. On the top of the pillar was a partridge. The bird strongly attracted, as was natural, the gaping admiration of the people, when the picture was first hung up in public, and they were so much delighted, that the Satyr, although executed with great skill, was not noticed. The partridge-breeders were still more struck with the picture of the bird. They brought tame partridges, which, when placed opposite to the picture, made their call, and drew together crowds of people. When Protogenes observed that the principal had become the subordinate part of his work, he obtained permission of the curators of the temple to efface the bird, which he did.”916 iii. This image is similar to the reference to Jesus in Revelation 1:12-16. 2. 2 and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; a. and he had in his hand a little book which was open. i. “Because the Greek form is a diminutive here, some scholars have suggested a second scroll is now revealed. However, the scroll’s small size is only in relation to the angel’s large hand, and ‘scroll’ and ‘little book’ are

915 Source: http ://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3 Abook%3D34%3Achapter%3D40 916 Source: http ://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239%3 Abook%3D14%3Achapter%3D2%3Asection%3D5 237

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 used interchangeably in the chapter (10:8, 9, 10). Thus, it is likely that only one scroll is seen throughout these visions.”917 b. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; i. This language presents the strong angel as a representative of “the Creator of the earth and the sea and the further judgment that awaits them both.”918 ii. Certainly the image may invoke memories of the Colossus of Rhodes for person living in Asia Minor. iii. The language of “his right foot on the sea and his left on the land” should be taken as a symbol of the global authority issuing forth from this strong angel. There is no place on land or sea where this message does not apply. 3. 3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. a. and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; i. “His shout like a lion’s roar suggests a possible link with the lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5), but the simile is for comparison of sound, not for identification purposes.”919 b. and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. 4. 4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” a. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; b. and I heard a voice from heaven saying, c. “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” i. “An unknown voice from heaven now forbids him to write down the mysterious utterance of the seven thunders, who appear only in Revelation. Perhaps their message concerns the final seven bowls of judgment, who disclosure is premature at this time.”920 5. 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, a. Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land i. John sees him as “the angel” and doesn’t say as “the Lamb” or otherwise. b. lifted up his right hand to heaven, i. Daniel 12:7, “I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.” ii. Deuteronomy 32:40-41, “40 Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, as I live forever, 41 If I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, and I will repay those who hate Me.”

917 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 309. 918 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 309. 919 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 309. 920 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 309. 238

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 6. 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, a. And swore by Him who lives forever and ever, b. who created heaven and the things in it, c. and the earth and the things in it, d. and the sea and the things in it, e. that there will be delay no longer, i. “The angel literally declares to John that ‘time (chronos) will be no longer.’ This time reference links back to the fifth seal where the martyred servants are told to wait ‘a little longer’ (literally, ‘a short time’; 6:11) for the rest of their brothers and sisters to be killed. Here in Revelation, God has now determined that the short time has run out.”921 7. 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. a. Amos 3:7, “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” 8. 8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” a. Then the voice which I heard from heaven, b. I heard again speaking with me, and saying, c. “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” 9. 9 So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” a. So I went to the angel, b. telling him to give me the little book. c. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, d. but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” e. See Old Testament background references:922 i. Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” ii. Ezekiel 2:8-10, “8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” 9 Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. 10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe.” iii. Ezekiel 3:1-7, “Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go

921 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 309. 922 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 310. 239

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate.” iv. 10. 10 I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. a. I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, b. and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; c. and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. 11. 11 And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” Καὶ λέγουσίν μοι· Δεῖ σε πάλιν προφητεῦσαι ἐπὶ λαοῖς καὶ ἔθνεσιν καὶ γλώσσαις καὶ βασιλεῦσιν πολλοῖς. a. And they said to me, b. “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” i. Wilson states, “The event is John’s recommissioning as a prophet, and he is told the subject of his future prophecy.”923 ii. The word kings (βασιλεῦσιν date plural masculine of βασιλεύς). 12. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. In Revelation 10:6 we note language similar to Genesis 1. 2. The purpose of these two visions, according to Beasley-Murry, is:924 a. The angel with the little book: This vision answers the question, “How long?” (cf., 10:7). b. The Two Witnesses: This vision answers the question, “What is the task of the Church in these troublous times?” (cf., 11:1-13). 3. John moves from a passive observer to an active participant commissioned to proclaim God’s message. 4. Other

923 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 310. 924 Beasley-Murry, G. R. The Book of Revelation (London: Oliphants, 1974), p. 168, as cited by Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 199 n 1. 240

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 11:1-14 1 Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”

1 Καὶ ἐδόθη μοι κάλαμος ὅμοιος ῥάβδῳ, λέγων· Ἔγειρε καὶ μέτρησον τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἐν αὐτῷ. 2 καὶ τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ναοῦ ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν, καὶ μὴ αὐτὴν μετρήσῃς, ὅτι ἐδόθη τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν πατήσουσιν μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο. 3 καὶ δώσω τοῖς δυσὶν μάρτυσίν μου, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα, περιβεβλημένοι σάκκους. 4 Οὗτοί εἰσιν αἱ δύο ἐλαῖαι καὶ αἱ δύο λυχνίαι αἱ ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου τῆς γῆς ἑστῶτες. 5 καὶ εἴ τις αὐτοὺς θέλει ἀδικῆσαι, πῦρ ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ κατεσθίει τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν· καὶ εἴ τις θελήσῃ αὐτοὺς ἀδικῆσαι, οὕτως δεῖ αὐτὸν ἀποκτανθῆναι. 6 οὗτοι ἔχουσιν τὴν ἐξουσίαν κλεῖσαι τὸν οὐρανόν, ἵνα μὴ ὑετὸς βρέχῃ τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς προφητείας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων στρέφειν αὐτὰ εἰς αἷμα καὶ πατάξαι τὴν γῆν ἐν πάσῃ πληγῇ ὁσάκις ἐὰν θελήσωσιν. 7 Καὶ ὅταν τελέσωσιν τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτῶν, τὸ θηρίον τὸ ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου ποιήσει μετ’ αὐτῶν πόλεμον καὶ νικήσει αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποκτενεῖ αὐτούς. 8 καὶ τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης, ἥτις καλεῖται πνευματικῶς Σόδομα καὶ Αἴγυπτος, ὅπου καὶ ὁ κύριος αὐτῶν ἐσταυρώθη. 9 καὶ βλέπουσιν ἐκ τῶν λαῶν καὶ φυλῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν καὶ ἐθνῶν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῶν ἡμέρας τρεῖς καὶ ἥμισυ, καὶ τὰ πτώματα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀφίουσιν τεθῆναι εἰς μνῆμα. 10 καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς χαίρουσιν ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς καὶ εὐφραίνονται, καὶ δῶρα πέμψουσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ δύο προφῆται ἐβασάνισαν τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 11 Καὶ μετὰ τὰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ ἥμισυ πνεῦμα ζωῆς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν, καὶ φόβος μέγας ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τοὺς θεωροῦντας αὐτούς· 12 καὶ ἤκουσαν φωνῆς μεγάλης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λεγούσης αὐτοῖς· Ἀνάβατε ὧδε, καὶ ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ, καὶ ἐθεώρησαν αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν. 13 καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐγένετο σεισμὸς μέγας, καὶ τὸ

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 δέκατον τῆς πόλεως ἔπεσεν, καὶ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν τῷ σεισμῷ ὀνόματα ἀνθρώπων χιλιάδες ἑπτά, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἔμφοβοι ἐγένοντο καὶ ἔδωκαν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. 14 Ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ δευτέρα ἀπῆλθεν· ἰδοὺ ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ τρίτη ἔρχεται ταχύ.

INTRODUCTION

EXEGESIS 1. 1 Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Καὶ ἐδόθη μοι κάλαμος ὅμοιος ῥάβδῳ, λέγων· Ἔγειρε καὶ μέτρησον τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἐν αὐτῷ. a. Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; i. “In the Jordan valley grew certain bamboo-like canes that were sufficiently long and rigid (cf., Luke 7:24) to be used for measuring.”925 b. and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. i. Mounce posits, “For John, the temple was not literal building but ‘the Christian community who worship God.’”926 ii. According to Mounce, “Whatever the imagery may have intended if it originally belonged to a Jewish apocalypse, there is little doubt that for John it means that God will give spiritual sanctuary to the faithful believers against the demonic assault of the Antichrist.”927 Citing Talbert, Mounce notes, “The measuring of the temple’s innermost parts symbolizes this protection of the faithful from apostasy (p. 45).”928 2. 2 Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. καὶ τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ναοῦ ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν, καὶ μὴ αὐτὴν μετρήσῃς, ὅτι ἐδόθη τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν πατήσουσιν μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο. a. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, i. Mounce notes that some consider the “court outside the temple” as a reference to the court of the Gentiles.929 Wilson, 311.

925 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 214. 926 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 213. 927 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 213. 928 Talbert, C. H. The Apocalypse (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1994), p. 45. 929 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 214. 242

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Wilson observes, Gentiles were “barred form the inner courts by a balustrade that contained thirteen Figure 1: The Soreg Balustrade (discovered by Clermont-Ganneau in 1871). It reads: NO FOREIGNER IS TO GO BEYOND THE inscribed stones BALUSTRADE AND THE PLAZA OF THE TEMPLE ZONE that read in Greek WHOEVER IS CAUGHT DOING SO WILL HAVE HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR HIS DEATH WHICH WILL FOLLOW. Source: https ://www.bible- and Latin: ‘No history.com/gentile_court/TEMPLECOURTSoreg_Inscription.htm intruder is allowed in the courtyard and within the wall surrounding the temple. Those who enter will invite death for themselves.”930 iii. Jesus said in Luke 21:23-24, “23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. iv. Wilson states, “The Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 is a fulfillment of these prophecies. The Jewish revolt began in the fall of 66 and concluded in September 26, 70 when Titus entered the city, a period of approximately forty-eight months (Masada did not fall until May 73, however).”931 v. Mounce argues, “It is more probable that the outer court refers to the church viewed from a different perspective. It is to be excluded and not measured; that is, it is to be give over to persecution in the last days. The distinction between the sanctuary and the outer court is a way of pointing out the limitations place upon pagan hostility.”932 vi. The pagan persecution “may physically decimate the witnessing church (in 11:7 the two witnesses are killed), but it cannot touch its real source of life (the witnesses are raised and ascend to heaven; 11:11-12).”933 b. for it has been given to the nations; c. and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. i. Wilson argues forty-two months “approximates the length of the Jewish revolt, [however] its prophetic fulfillment lies in the time of the persecution of the spiritual temple – the church.”934 3. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” καὶ δώσω τοῖς δυσὶν μάρτυσίν μου, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα, περιβεβλημένοι σάκκους. a. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, i. The word for authority is not found in the text. Linguistic scholars consider the concept to be implied.

930 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 311. Josephus (Jos. War 5, v, 2; cf. Jos. War 6, ii, 4; Jos. Antiq. 15. xi, 5; Philo Leg. 212) says: "Proceeding across this [the open court] towards the second court of the temple, one found it surrounded by a stone balustrade, three cubits high and of exquisite workmanship; in this at regular intervals stood slabs giving warning, some in Greek, others in Latin characters, of the law of purification, to wit that no foreigner was permitted to enter the holy place, for so the second enclosure of the temple was called." 931 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 312. 932 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 214. 933 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 214. 934 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 312. 243

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. My two witnesses (δυσὶν μάρτυσίν μου). 1. Wilson states, “Nowhere does John identify the two witnesses who are divinely empowered. However, their prophetic activities mirror those of Moses and Elijah, who spirit they clearly embody (Malachi 4:4-5).”935 a. See Malachi 4:4-5, “4 “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” b. Mark 9:2-4, “2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; 3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.” b. and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, i. “Their period of prophesying is given as 1,260 days, which equals forty-two months in the Jewish lunar calendar of thirty days each. It is also equivalent to three and a half years, the period of judgment that Elijah pronounced against Ahab and Israel (Luke 4:25; James 5:17).”936 c. clothed in sackcloth.” i. “This sackcloth is black and made from goat’s hair (6:12). The Israelites put on sackcloth on the day of judgment as a sign of lament while seeking to avert God’s wrath (Isaiah 3:24; Jeremiah 4:8; Ezekiel 7:18). The sackcloth on the two witnesses symbolizes the message of judgment that they will proclaim to the earth dwellers.”937 4. 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 4 Οὗτοί εἰσιν αἱ δύο ἐλαῖαι καὶ αἱ δύο λυχνίαι αἱ ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου τῆς γῆς ἑστῶτες a. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands i. See Zechariah 4:1-14, “1Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. 2 He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;3 also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.” 4 Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. 7 ‘What are you, O great mountain?

935 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 312. 936 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 312. 937 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 312. 244

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” 8 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.10 For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 12 And I answered the second time and said to him, “What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?” 13 So he answered me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.” b. that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 5 καὶ εἴ τις αὐτοὺς θέλει ἀδικῆσαι, πῦρ ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ κατεσθίει τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν· καὶ εἴ τις θελήσῃ αὐτοὺς ἀδικῆσαι, οὕτως δεῖ αὐτὸν ἀποκτανθῆναι. a. And if anyone wants to harm them, b. fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; c. so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. i. “Fire from heaven played an important role in the ministries of Moses and Elijah (Numbers 11:1-3; 16:35; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:9-12. See also Luke 9:54). The prophetic activity of Moses and Elijah serves as a model for the ministry of the two witnesses.”938 6. 6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. a. Again more language in keeping with Moses and Elijah. b. See Exodus 7:14-24; 1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-42. c. Who are the two witnesses (cf., the two olive trees, tow lampstands; see Deuteronomy 19:15 and the “testimony of two witnesses”). i. Cf., the Moses and Elijah-like ministry. ii. “Much more probable is the suggestion that we have a prophecy either about the whole church and its task in the world as witnesses and as the temple of God, or it is a specific reference to two churches that are undergoing persecution and even martyrdoms – for instance, Smyrna and Philadelphia.”939 iii. So Mounce who argues, the two witnesses are “symbolic of the witnessing church in the last tumultuous days before the end of the age.”940 7. 7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 7 Καὶ ὅταν τελέσωσιν τὴν

938 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 313. 939 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 158-59. 940 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 217. 245

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 μαρτυρίαν αὐτῶν, τὸ θηρίον τὸ ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου ποιήσει μετ’ αὐτῶν πόλεμον καὶ νικήσει αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποκτενεῖ αὐτούς. a. When they have finished their testimony, b. the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, i. “The beast is now introduced for the first time. His place of origin is the Abyss, where the demonic locusts of the fifth trumpet also originate (9:2- 3).”941 The term beast is θηρίον, and literally refers to a wild animal. ii. iii. “The beast is a malevolent character whose ultimate mission is to kill the two witnesses. By implication, he is the power behind the death of Antipas, the faithful witness in Pergamum (2:13).”942 c. and overcome them and kill them. i. Wilson indicates, “The martyrdom described in Revelation is being repeated around the world today at an alarming rate. In fact, the 100 million martyrs who have died for their faith in the twentieth century are more than those martyred in the previous nineteen centuries of the church combined.”943 ii. Witherington suggests “This text would imply that the church will be on the earth during the great tribulation, during the penultimate three and half years of human history.”944 8. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 8 καὶ τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης, ἥτις καλεῖται πνευματικῶς Σόδομα καὶ Αἴγυπτος, ὅπου καὶ ὁ κύριος αὐτῶν ἐσταυρώθη. a. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city b. which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, i. The NAS translates the term as mystically. However, the Greek word πνευματικῶς is better translated as spiritually. The use of πνευματικῶς may also reflect insight into hermeneutics and the book of Revelation. ii. Witherington states, “We must see the reference to Sodom and Egypt as a statement about the spiritual status of Jerusalem. It was a city occupied and, in fact, trampled underfoot in A.D. 95 by Gentiles.”945 c. where also their Lord was crucified. i. This is Jerusalem. Note the hint for the preterist position. ii. Mounce states, “The majority of commentators take ‘the great city’ to be Jerusalem in spite of the fact that in the seven other references in Revelation (16:19; 17:18; 18:10, 16, 18, 19, 21) it consistently refers to Rome.”946 9. 9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 9 καὶ βλέπουσιν ἐκ τῶν λαῶν καὶ φυλῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν καὶ ἐθνῶν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῶν ἡμέρας τρεῖς καὶ ἥμισυ, καὶ τὰ πτώματα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀφίουσιν τεθῆναι εἰς μνῆμα.

941 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 313. 942 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 313. 943 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 313. 944 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 159. 945 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 159. 946 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 220. 246

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, b. and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. i. “That the bodies of the witnesses were not allowed to be buried was considered in the ancient near east the ultimate way to disgrace or shame someone (see Isaiah 5:25; Ps Sol 2.30ff).”947 10. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 10 καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς χαίρουσιν ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς καὶ εὐφραίνονται, καὶ δῶρα πέμψουσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ δύο προφῆται ἐβασάνισαν τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. a. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; b. and they will send gifts to one another, c. because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11. 11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 11 Καὶ μετὰ τὰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ ἥμισυ πνεῦμα ζωῆς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν, καὶ φόβος μέγας ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τοὺς θεωροῦντας αὐτούς· a. But after the three and a half days, b. the breath of life from God came into them, i. See Genesis 1-2. c. and they stood on their feet; i. Resurrection d. and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. i. Witherington states, “This is a sign of the vindication of these witnesses and occurs immediately preceding the end of the age, not as in dispensational theology several years before (see 11:15).”948 ii. Witherington notes, “There is also the heartening reference to the repentance of the city in 11:11-13.”949 12. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. 12 καὶ ἤκουσαν φωνῆς μεγάλης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λεγούσης αὐτοῖς· Ἀνάβατε ὧδε, καὶ ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ, καὶ ἐθεώρησαν αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν. a. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, b. “Come up here.” c. Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13. 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 13 καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐγένετο σεισμὸς μέγας, καὶ τὸ δέκατον τῆς πόλεως ἔπεσεν, καὶ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν τῷ σεισμῷ ὀνόματα ἀνθρώπων χιλιάδες ἑπτά, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἔμφοβοι ἐγένοντο καὶ ἔδωκαν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. a. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, i. See the prophecy of Ezekiel 38:19-20. b. and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake,

947 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 159. 948 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 159-60. 949 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 160. 247

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Witherington posits, “7,000 is very close to a tenth of the population of Jerusalem in the early part of the first century A.D.”950 c. and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. i. “It is crucial to recognize that Revelation’s rhetoric of judgment expresses hope for the conversion of nine-tenths of the nations in response to Christian witness and preaching.”951 14. 14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. 14 Ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ δευτέρα ἀπῆλθεν· ἰδοὺ ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ τρίτη ἔρχεται ταχύ.

NOUTHETICS 1. God’s Word can sound like sweet encouragement. But, it can also demand full repentance and this is “hard to hear” for us. 2. Revelation 11:13 presents that even wicked and hard-hearted people can turn to the living God. The text doesn’t say, “They all accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and went to Sunday School.” The text does say, “and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Is this true repentance? I hope so. 3.

950 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 160. 951 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 160. 248

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 11:15-19 15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

15 Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγοντες· Ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. 16 Καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι οἱ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ καθήμενοι ἐπὶ τοὺς θρόνους αὐτῶν ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ,17 λέγοντες· Εὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι, κύριε, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν, ὅτι εἴληφας τὴν δύναμίν σου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐβασίλευσας. 18 καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ὠργίσθησαν, καὶ ἦλθεν ἡ ὀργή σου καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῶν νεκρῶν κριθῆναι καὶ δοῦναι τὸν μισθὸν τοῖς δούλοις σου τοῖς προφήταις καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά σου, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ διαφθεῖραι τοὺς διαφθείροντας τὴν γῆν. 19 Καὶ ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ὤφθη ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐγένοντο ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταὶ καὶ σεισμὸς καὶ χάλαζα μεγάλη.

INTRODUCTION 1. Revelation 11:15-19 points to the theory of recapitulation, where the story of the end is retold and recast several times in the book. 2. The language of “final judgment and kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” is absolutely full of hope and grace. 3. Beale indicates “Whether or not this section anticipates the formal content of the final trumpet or is that content itself, its past tense verbs could be seen as prophetic perfects. But this could also be a projection into the future, when the kingdom has been established and the heavenly host offers praise in response. In that case, the past tense verbs would describe what are past actions from the perspective of the future.”952

EXEGESIS 1. 15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 15 Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγοντες· Ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. a. Then the seventh angel sounded; b. and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, i. loud voices (φωναὶ μεγάλαι)

952 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 611. 249

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. Aune observes, that “‘loud voice’ occurs frequently in Revelation in a number of connections, only here does the phrase occur in the plural of the sound of chanting or singing, though it is not at all clear why the plural is used.”953 ii. Saying (λέγοντες present active participle nominative plural masculine of λέγω). 1. Aune argues “The loud but unidentified voices from heaven, which chant the first part of an antiphonal hymn juxtaposes the celebration of the reign of God with the final judgment of al the dead; the righteous are rewarded, and the wicked are punished.”954 c. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever i. Aune argues, “V 15bc constitutes a song of victory (Siegesruf) comparable to those found in 7:10 and 12:10-12 (Deichgräbe, Gotteshymnus, 54). The theme of this song of victory is the kingship or rule of God, and the song consists of two lines connected by καί.”955 ii. Kingdom of the world 1. World (κόσμος). “The term κόσμος (world), which occurs 186 times in the New Testament, occurs only 3 times in Revelation. Most occurrences of the term κόσμος occur in the Gospel of John (78 times) and Letters of John (24 times), i.e., 55 percent of the occurrences in the New Testament. [This] suggests a major difference in cosmological emphases between the Gospel and Letters of John on one hand and Revelation on the other.”956 2. iii. Has become (ἐγένετο aorist middle indicative of γίνομαι). iv. Our Lord and of His Christ 1. Morris posits, “In the New Testament as a whole our Lord usually refers to Christ, but in Revelation it is more often used of the Father. The choice of language here may be affected by the fact that the words represent the homage of men at large rather than of the church. For those who see no need for redemption ‘the Lord’ is God the Father, while the Lord of the Church is ‘the Lord’s Christ’ (so Swete).”957 v. He will reign (βασιλεύσει future active indicative of βασιλεύω). 1. Mounce posits, “As the drama of the consummation moves toward the final scene, the hosts of heaven proclaim it fait accompli,”958 a French expression that lit. “accomplished fact”; something that has already happened and is thus unlikely to be reversed; a done deal. 2. Mounce states, “During his earthly ministry Jesus had resisted the tempting offer of Satan to hand over the kingdoms of this world in

953 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 637-38. 954 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 646. 955 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 638. 956 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 638. 957 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 153. 958 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 226. 250

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 exchange for worship (Matthew 4:8-9). Now this sovereignty passes to him as a rightful possession in view of the successful completion of his messianic ministry.”959 3. Matthew 4:8-10, “8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.” 4. Matthew 6:9-13, “9 ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” 2. 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 16 Καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι οἱ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ καθήμενοι ἐπὶ τοὺς θρόνους αὐτῶν ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ, a. And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, b. fell on their faces and worshiped God, 3. 17 saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 17 λέγοντες· Εὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι, κύριε, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν, ὅτι εἴληφας τὴν δύναμίν σου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐβασίλευσας. a. saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, i. Saying (λέγοντες present active participle of nominative plural of λέγω). ii. b. who are and who were, i. Who are (ὢν present active participle of vocative singular masculine of εἰμί) ii. Who were (ἦν imperfect active indicative third person singular of εἰμί). iii. What is John’s purpose in not including the future tense of God’s ontological nature? Also known as the Tetragrammaton, the four letters that form the word YHWH, is the official designation used for the personal name or memorial name of God. God revealed His personal name to Moses in Exodus 3:13-15. Mike Heiser (Ph.D., Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison) argues the difference in spelling from the original Hebrew is a matter of Hebrew morphology or word formation. God is the speaker in Exodus 3:14 and is speaking of himself. As a result, what God says in answer is in the first person. God’s answer (‘ehyeh ‘asher ‘ehyeh) employs the “to be” verb in biblical Hebrew two times. That verb is Hebrew HYH. The middle consonant (y) was frequently interchanged in ancient Semitic languages with the consonant “w” in “to be” formations. The Semitic root HWY (“to be, become”) and Aramaic HWH (“to be, become”) are also considered part of the explanation. I bring this up because it is necessary to account for the “w” in

959 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 226. 251

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 YHWH (as opposed to YHYH) in the divine name form” (cf., michaelsheiser.com). Emphasis mine. iv. The memorial name of God is critical to a correct theological-ontological understanding of God in Judaism. In my estimation, the future tense is not included because time will no longer be reckoned on a linear basis. Time is know reckoned on an eternal basis. There is no need for a future tense. The future has come and time is expressed eternally. Time is no more. God simply is. v. Witherington states, “Notice in vs 17 the change of address to God. He no longer ‘was, and is to come.’ The end has arrived, and the coming has become a reality. Thus it can be said only that God was and is.”960 c. because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. i. You have taken (εἴληφας perfect active indicative second person singular of λαμβάνω). 1. Morris argues the “perfect may be meant to indicate that God has taken the power permanently.”961 ii. Have begun to reign (ἐβασίλευσας aorist active indicative of βασιλεύω). iii. 4. 18 And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 18 καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ὠργίσθησαν, καὶ ἦλθεν ἡ ὀργή σου καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῶν νεκρῶν κριθῆναι καὶ δοῦναι τὸν μισθὸν τοῖς δούλοις σου τοῖς προφήταις καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά σου, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ διαφθεῖραι τοὺς διαφθείροντας τὴν γῆν. a. And the nations were enraged, i. See Psalm 2:1-9, “1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” 7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” b. and Your wrath came, i. According to Beale, “Every use of ὀργή in the Apocalypse concerns the time of the final great outpouring of wrath at the end of history.”962 ii. Morris states, “The punishment fits the crime. God’s wrath is not irrational, but the fitting reaction to the conduct of the nations.”963 c. and the time came for the dead to be judged,

960 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 160. 961 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 153. 962 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 615. 963 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 153. 252

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Time (καιρὸς nominative singular masculine of καιρός). 1. Mounce, citing Peterson, states, “Chronos is duration, kairos is opportunity. We cooly measure chronos with clocks and calendars: we passionately lose ourselves in kairos by falling in love or leaping into faith (192).”964 d. and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, i. Time ii. Reward (μισθὸν). “The reward is that the saints’ deliverance, a position of reign with Christ, and the accompanying blessings.”965 iii. The people are divided into three groups: 1. The prophets 2. The saints 3. Those who fear Your name e. and to destroy those who destroy the earth. i. To destroy (διαφθεῖραι aorist active infinitive of διαφθείρω). ii. Those who destroy διαφθείροντας present active participle of διαφθείρω). iii. Aune discerns the reference to earth “is metonymy for the ‘people of the earth,’”966 or, according to Beale, “God’s people.”967 Mounce identifies these people as from John perspective, “the Roman Empire and all who serve its sinister designs.”968 A metonymy is the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example, the White House as a metonymy for the President of the United States of America. 1. See 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, “6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.” iv. Jesus identified his followers as the “light of the world and the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-16). Text: “13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your

964 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 227, n 8. Cf., Peterson, Eugene. Reversed Thunder (San Francisco: Harper, 1988), p. 192. 965 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 615. 966 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 645. 967 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 615. 968 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 228. 253

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” v. So Morris again, “The punishment fits the crime. There is nothing arbitrary about the judgments of God (cf., 1 Cor 3:17).”969 vi. Aune states, “Judgment is justice based on the principle of lex talionis, the ‘law of retribution’ in kind.”970 5. 19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm. 19 Καὶ ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ὤφθη ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐγένοντο ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταὶ καὶ σεισμὸς καὶ χάλαζα μεγάλη. a. And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; b. and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, i. Wilson notes, “This is the only occasion where [John] sees the ark of the covenant.”971 “In the Old Testament the ark of the covenant was the very symbol of God’s presence.”972 ii. Morris indicates, “Not the earthly ark but its heavenly prototype” are referenced here…Its disclosure, taken with the opening of the sanctuary , will indicate that the way into God’s presence is open wide (cf., Hebrew 10:19). In the earthly sanctuary the veil permanently covered the ark, thus making it clear that men had no rights of access (cf., Hebrews 9:8). But Christ in his work for men has changed all that and now the way is wide open.”973 iii. “The reference to the ‘covenant’ is also important. The covenant is eternal. God has worked out His purpose throughout history and now at the climax the symbol of His covenant faithfulness is publicly disclosed.”974 iv. Where is the Ark of the Covenant?975 1. 2 Maccabees 2:4-8, states Jeremiah hid it in a cave on Mount Nebo. Text: “4 It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God. 5 And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door. 6 And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it. 7 Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy. 8 Then shall the Lord shew them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses, and as

969 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 154. 970 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 645. 971 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 316. 972 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 154. 973 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 154. 974 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 154. 975 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 316-17. 254

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 when Solomon desired that the place might be honourably sanctified.” 2. 2 Baruch 6:1-8, states an angel hid these sacred objects in the earth and is to guard them until the last days. Text: 6 1 And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo! the army of the Chaldees surrounded the city, and at the time of the evening, I, Baruch, left the people, and I went forth and stood by the oak. 2 And I was grieving over Zion, and lamenting over the captivity which had come upon the people. 3 And lo! suddenly a strong spirit raised me, and bore me aloft over the wall of Jerusalem. 4 And I beheld, and lo! four angels standing at the four corners of the city, each of them holding a torch of fire in his hands. 5 And another angel began to descend from heaven. and said unto them: 'Hold your lamps, and do not light them till I tell you. 6 For I am first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place in it what the Lord the Most High has commanded me.' 7 And I saw him descend into the Holy of Holies, and take from there the veil, and holy ark, and the mercy-seat, and the two tables, and the holy raiment of the priests, and the altar of incense, and the forty-eight precious stones, wherewith the priest was adorned and all the holy vessels of the tabernacle. 8 And he spoke to the earth with a loud voice: 'Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God, And receive what I commit to you, And guard them until the last times, So that, when you are ordered, you may restore them, So that strangers may not get possession of them. v. Other theories include:976 1. Taken to Ethiopia (Axum) by Menelik, son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (see 1 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 9; the Ethiopian royal chronicles (Kebra Nagast - The Glory of Kings). 2. Taken to Tanis, Egypt by Pharaoh Shishak (Sheshonk-1 Kings 14). 3. Taken in battle by King Jehoash of Israel (2 Kings 14). 4. Given by King Hezekiah as tribute payment to Assyrian King Sennacherib (2 Kings 18). 5. Destroyed by King Manasseh when he desecrated the Temple (2 Kings 2;, 2 Chronicles 33). 6. During days of Manasseh, taken by Israelite priests to Elephantine Island on the Nile and eventually reached Axum, Ethiopia (see 2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33). 7. Hidden by Jeremiah on 'the mountain which Moses ascended to see the heritage promised by God.' (Mt. Nebo, Mt. Sinai or Mt. Olives - 2 Maccabees 2). 8. Taken by Jeremiah to Ireland. 9. Hidden by Israelite priests beneath the Temple Mount before Babylonian captivity (Mishnah Shekalim 6:1-2; Babylonian Talmud Sotah 9a; Yoma 52a-54a; Tosefta Sotah 13:1).

976 http s://biblearchaeology.org/research/contemporary-issues/4209-the-lost-ark-of-the-covenant-still- lost?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4JL9ycH16QIVDUmGCh0zqAeXEAAYASAAEgJp2fD_BwE

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 10. Hidden by Israelite priests beneath Golgotha before the Babylonian captivity (Gordon's Calvary - Hebrews 9). 11. Returned to Kiriath Jearim from Jerusalem by Israelite priests before the Babylonian captivity. 12. Taken by God to the Heavenly Temple, probably before the Babylonian captivity (see Revelation11:19; Hebrews 9; also Exodus 15; 1 Chronicles 28). 13. Destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon when he plundered and destroyed the Temple (2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36; Lamentations 1). 14. Taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Isaiah 39; Jeremiah 52; Lamentations 1; 2 Esdras 10; Babylonian Talmud Yoma 53b; Tosefta Sotah 13:1). 15. Hidden by priests in a cave near the Dead Sea before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (the Copper Scroll). 16. Taken to Rome and ultimately hidden in the Vatican (Josephus, Wars 7:148-149). 17. Taken to Rome by Titus, taken from Rome to Carthage by the Vandals, taken to Constantinople (Byzantium) by Beligarius, returned to Jerusalem by Justinian and hidden beneath the New ('New') Church in Jerusalem (6th century AD Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea). 18. Hidden at an undetermined time in a fully reconstructed Temple buried in the Hinnom Valley (the Ezekiel Tablets). 19. Swallowed by the earth (2 Baruch 6). 20. Transported to Yemen and incorporated into the Lemba tribe's sacred ngoma. 21. Stored away in a US government warehouse somewhere in Washington DC (Raiders of the Lost Ark). c. and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm. i. Wilson states, “The trumpet cycle ends with the characteristic eschatological earthquake that concludes each judgment cycle.”977

NOUTHETICS 1. Revelation 11:18, features language clearly present to key eschatological convictions that give hope to the suffering Christians in Asia Minor and around the world: 2. And the time came for three critical actions will be executed: a. Dead to be judged, b. Reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, c. Destroy those who destroy the earth. 3. Jesus modeled for us the ability to wait and do the will of God for the greater eternal good. a. See Matthew 4 and Revelation 11:15. 4. Other

977 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 316. 256

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 12:1-17 1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Angel, Michael 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Καὶ σημεῖον μέγα ὤφθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα, 2 καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα· καὶ κράζει ὠδίνουσα καὶ βασανιζομένη τεκεῖν. 3 καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἰδοὺ δράκων μέγας πυρρός, ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ διαδήματα, 4 καὶ ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ σύρει τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἕστηκεν ἐνώπιον τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς μελλούσης τεκεῖν, ἵνα ὅταν

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 τέκῃ τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς καταφάγῃ. 5 καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν, ἄρσεν, ὃς μέλλει ποιμαίνειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· καὶ ἡρπάσθη τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. 6 καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἔφυγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὅπου ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον ἡτοιμασμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τρέφωσιν αὐτὴν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα. 7 Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέμησεν καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, 8 καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. 9 καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ καλούμενος Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην— ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐβλήθησαν.

10 Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν μεγάλην ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγουσαν· Ἄρτι ἐγένετο ἡ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐβλήθη ὁ κατήγωρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν αὐτοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. 11 καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀρνίου καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησαν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἄχρι θανάτου· 12 διὰ τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε, οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες. οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἔχων θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει.

13 Καὶ ὅτε εἶδεν ὁ δράκων ὅτι ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐδίωξεν τὴν γυναῖκα ἥτις ἔτεκεν τὸν ἄρσενα. 14 καὶ ἐδόθησαν τῇ γυναικὶ αἱ δύο πτέρυγες τοῦ ἀετοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, ἵνα πέτηται εἰς τὴν ἔρημον εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, ὅπου τρέφεται ἐκεῖ καιρὸν καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὄφεως. 15 καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ὄφις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω τῆς γυναικὸς ὕδωρ ὡς ποταμόν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ποταμοφόρητον ποιήσῃ. 16 καὶ ἐβοήθησεν ἡ γῆ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς καὶ κατέπιεν τὸν ποταμὸν ὃν ἔβαλεν ὁ δράκων ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ· 17 καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς, τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ· 18 καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης.

INTRODUCTION 1. Richard Bauckham posits, “Revelation 12-14 portray the combatants in the messianic war.”978 2. In this chapter we see a retelling of the story of the birth of Christ and the jealousy that incited Herod murder Jewish male children under the age of two. See Matthew 2:1-18. 3. Consider as a chiasmus by scholars such as Mark Wilson, N. W. Lund, D. M. Scholer, K. R. Snodgrass, and even the British novelist D. H. Lawrence, Revelation 12 “is uniformly placed at the crossing point in all proposed chiastic structural models of Revelation… chapter 12 is the ‘centre-piece of the Apocalypse’ because it portrays the birth of the Messiah.”979

EXEGESIS 1. 1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; Καὶ σημεῖον μέγα ὤφθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα,

978 Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) (p. 77). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition. 979 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 317, citing D. H. Lawrence, Apocalypse (New York: Penguin, 1931), 102-28. 258

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. A great sign appeared in heaven i. Great sign 1. Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 2. There has been some attention given to the astrological phenomena that occurred on September 23, 2017. For example: Recently at Answers in Genesis, we have begun to get inquiries about a supposed event of great prophetic significance on September 23 of this year. Many videos on the Internet are promoting this. On this date, the sun will be in the constellation Virgo (the virgin), along with the moon near Virgo’s feet. Additionally, Jupiter will be in Virgo, while the planets Venus, Mars, and Mercury will be above and to the right of Virgo in the constellation Leo. Some people claim that this is a very rare event (allegedly only once in 7,000 years) and that it supposedly is a fulfillment of a sign in Revelation 12. Revelation 12:1–2 (ESV) reads: And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. So we have here a woman (Virgo) in the sky (heaven), along with the sun, and the moon at her feet. What about the 12 stars? Virtually all the websites promoting this prophetic sign state that there are nine stars in Leo, but with the addition of the three planets (which appear as bright stars), there are 12 stars. Since Leo is to the upper right of Virgo’s head, one might see this as a crown of 12 stars, though these 12 stars will be far above Virgo’s head.”980 ii. Appeared (ὤφθη aorist passive indicative of ὁράω). 1. “The ancients believed that heavenly signs signaled changes on earth.”981 See Matthew 2:1-3, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” 2. Wilson reports that “(ca. 59-62) During Nero’s reign a comet appeared, and its appearance was generally believed to foretell a change of emperor.”982 Tacitus writes, “A comet meantime blazed in the sky, which in popular opinion always portends revolution to kingdoms. So people began to ask, as if Nero was already dethroned, who was to be elected. In every one's mouth was the name of Rubellius Blandus, who inherited through his mother the high nobility of the Julian family. He was himself attached to the ideas of our ancestors; his manners were austere, his home was one

980 Source: https ://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/stars/what-will-happen-september-23-2017/ 981 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 317. 982 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 317. 259

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 of purity and seclusion, and the more he lived in retirement from fear, the more fame did he acquire. Popular talk was confirmed by an interpretation put with similar credulity on a flash of lightning. While Nero was reclining at dinner in his house named Sublaqueum on the Simbruine lake, the table with the banquet was struck and shattered, and as this happened close to Tibur, from which town Plautus derived his origin on his father's side, people believed him to be the man marked out by divine providence; and he was encouraged by that numerous class, whose eager and often mistaken ambition it is to attach themselves prematurely to some new and hazardous cause. This alarmed Nero, and he wrote a letter to Plautus, bidding "him consider the tranquility of Rome and withdraw himself from mischievous gossip. He had ancestral possessions in Asia, where he might enjoy his youth safely and quietly." And so thither Plautus retired with his wife Antistia and a few intimate friends.”983 iii. In heaven. 1. Witherington acknowledges the challenge of how we should interpret οὐρανός. Should we “translate οὐρανός as sky or heaven? Either rendering is possible, but as the story unfolds heaven seems to the most likely translation.”984 2. b. a woman clothed with the sun, i. Beale states, “The woman’s brightness connotes the heavenly identity and heavenly protection of the people of God, as well as their purity, which safeguards their ultimate spiritual invincibility against persecution and corruption by temptation, deception, or any vice.”985 ii. According to Wilson, “The woman, whose clothing depicts her character as with the other figures in Revelation (e.g., 4:4; 17:4), wears the sun, which symbolizes her heavenly nature (cf., 1:16; 10:1).”986 iii. Who is this woman? 1. Interpretive options: a. Israel (The woman is undoubtedly Israel who gives birth to the Messiah).987 So Mounce who states, “Vs 2-6 reveal that his woman is picture of the faithful community, which existed both before and after the coming of Christ.”988 b. Mary the mother of Jesus (Roman Catholic view), a very common interpretation especially in the patristic and medieval periods.989

983 The Annals by Tacitus. Written 109 A.C.E. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb. Source: http ://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.10.xiv.html 984 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 167. 985 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 627. 986 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 317. 987 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 157. 988 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 625. 989 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 680. 260

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 c. The Church.990 d. The Persecuted People of God from whom the Messiah comes (Yarbro Collins).991 e. The Bride as the Heavenly or New Jerusalem (mother Zion).992 See Mounce, 231-32; Ladd, 167. f. An astrological figure. g. Isis, the queen of heaven. 2. According to Morris, we must discern here, “Israel, the chosen people of God. ‘She comes standing upon the Old Testament revelation of reflected light and clothed with the New Testament revelation which is as the sun shining in his strength (Torrence). The twelve stars will be the twelve patriarchs or the tribes which descended from them.”993 3. Witherington observes if we say it is Mary, which is not impossible, than how do you account for 12:17, and the statement, “the rest of her offspring”994 (λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς). The language “her offspring” refers to persecuted believers.995 4. Mounce argues, “Although the woman gives birth to the Messiah, she is not to be understood as Mary the mother of Jesus but the messianic community, the ideal Israel. Zion as the mother of the people of God is a common theme in Jewish writings (Isaiah 54:1; 2 Esdr 10:7; cf., Galatians 4:26). It is out of faithful Israel that the Messiah will come. It should cause no trouble that within the same chapter the woman comes to signify the church (vs 17).”996 5. George Eldon Ladd posits Galatians 4:26, as “the clue to the meaning of the heavenly woman.” See Galatians 4:26, “But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” iv. clothed with the sun, 1. “The world may despise the true Israel and hold it in lowest esteem, but form God’s point of view she is a radiant bride. (cf., Jeremiah 2:2).”997 c. and the moon under her feet, i. Wilson posits, “The phrase ‘under her feet’ signifies dominion and authority over creation (cf., Psalm 8:6; Malachi 4:3).”998 d. and on her head a crown of twelve stars; i. Witherington notes, “Much conjecture has been offered as to whether this crown might represent the constellations or, more specifically, the twelve

990 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 680. 991 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 680. 992 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 167. 993 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 156. 994 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 167. 995 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 167. 996 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 231-32. 997 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 232. 998 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 317. 261

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 signs of the zodiac. The point is that in this woman the destiny of the whole race lies, drawing on the notion that stars control one’s future or fate.”999 ii. Wilson conjects, “the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel.” iii. See Genesis 37:9, “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 2. 2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα· καὶ κράζει ὠδίνουσα καὶ βασανιζομένη τεκεῖν. a. and she was with child; i. Beale posits, “Catholic commentators have written an immense amount of literature arguing that the heavenly woman symbolizes Mary, the mother of Jesus. Though the mother of Jesus may be secondarily in mind, the primary focus here is not on an individual but on the community of faith within which the messianic line ultimately yielded a kingly offspring.”1000 b. and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth i. Beale states, “The woman’s birth pangs represent the persecution of the covenant community and the messianic line during the Old Testament and the intertestamental period leading up to Christ’s birth.”1001 ii. Furthermore, Beale in on point when he posits, “The suffering in view is not primarily that of Christ at Calvary, since it is the woman who suffers and not the Child (cf., vv 4-5).”1002 iii. In my estimation, this language is not unrelated to the prayers of the saints: 1. Revelation 5:8, “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” 2. Revelation 8:3, “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.” iv. Isaiah 66:7, “Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy.” 3. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἰδοὺ δράκων μέγας πυρρός, ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ διαδήματα, a. Then another sign appeared in heaven: i. Appeared (ὤφθη aorist passive indicative of ὁράω). b. and behold, a great red dragon i. Beale indicates, “Often the wicked kingdom of Egypt is portrayed by this emblem. God is spoken of as defeating the Pharoah as a sea dragon at the exodus deliverance and at later points in Egypt’s history (Pss. 74:12-14;

999 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 167. 1000 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 628. 1001 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 629. 1002 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 629. 262

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 89:10; Isaiah 30:7; 51:9; Ezek. 29:3; 32:2-3; Hab. 3:8-15; Pss. Sol. 2:29- 30.”1003 For example: 1. Psalm 74:12-14, “Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” 2. Isaiah 27:1, “In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.” 3. Isaiah 51:9-10, “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; Awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces, Who pierced the dragon? 10 Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over?” 4. Ezekiel 29:1-4, “In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3 Speak and say, ‘Thus says the LORD GOD, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’ 4 “I will put hooks in your jaws And make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales. And I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.” ii. Beale references The Sibylline Oracles 8:88 (82-105), “And gnashing of teeth, and thee noisily 140 Beating with thine own hands thy godless breast. For all together there is equal night; For rich and poor; and naked from the earth Naked again to earth they haste away And cease from life when they complete their time. 145 No slave is there, nor any lord, nor tyrant, Nor king, nor leader having much conceit, Nor speaker learned in law, nor magistrate Judging for money; nor do they pour out The blood of sacrifices in libations 150 Upon the altars; there sounds not a drum Nor cymbal. . . . Nor perforated flute that has a power To madden mind itself, nor sound of pipe That bean the likeness of a crooked snake, 155 Nor trumpet, harsh- toned messenger of wars; Nor those made drunken in the lawless feasts Of revelry, nor in the choral dance; Nor sound of harp, nor harmful instrument; Nor strife, nor anger manifold, nor sword 160 Is with the dead; but an eternity Common to all is keeper of the key Of the great prison before God's judgment-seat With images of gold and silver and stone Ye are ready, that unto the bitter day 165 Ye may come to see your first

1003 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 632. 263

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 punishment, O Rome, and gnashing of teeth. And no more Shall Syrian or Greek lay down his neck Beneath thy servile yoke, nor foreigner,”1004 c. having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems i. John, according to Beale, “paints pictures in such a manner as to ring bells in the minds of his readers, many of whom were formally pagan and would have been familiar with some of these myths. For example, the ‘seven heads’ in 12:3 appear to come not from the Old Testament but from other cosmological traditions depicting the sea monster Lotan with seven heads.”1005 ii. However, in contrast to Beale, Wilson states, “The imagery is borrowed from Daniel’s vision of the fourth beast (Daniel 7:7). As the fourth and final one, this beast is commonly understood as the Roman empire, which is how it is interpreted in 4 Ezra 4:10 (ca. A.D. 100).1006 iii. Who or what is the red dragon? The red dragon, according to Mounce, “would immediately be understood as the arch enemy of God and his people.”1007 iv. Revelation 12:9, identifies the red dragon in the following terms, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” v. See also Revelation 20:2-3, “And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.” vi. Wilson posits, the ten horns “represent great satanic power.”1008 4. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. καὶ ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ σύρει τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἕστηκεν ἐνώπιον τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς μελλούσης τεκεῖν, ἵνα ὅταν τέκῃ τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς καταφάγῃ. a. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. i. Beale notes that this “is taken from Daniel 8:10,”1009 which reads, “It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down.” ii. This passage hints at recapitulation. iii. Notice the use of thirds in Revelation. 1. 8:7, Third of the earth was burned up 2. 8:7, Third of the earth was burned up 3. 8:8, Third of the sea became blood 4. 8:9, Third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died;

1004 The Sibylline Oracles. Translated from the Greek into English blank verse by Milton. S. Terry, 1899. Source: https ://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/sib/sib10.htm. 1005 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 634-35. 1006 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 318. 1007 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 233. 1008 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 318. 1009 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 635. 264

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. 8:9, Third of the ships were destroyed. 6. 8:10, Third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch 7. 8:10, Third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 8. 8:11, Third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. 9. 8:12, Third of the sun and a 10. 8:12, Third of the moon and a 11. 8:12, Third of the stars were struck, so that a 12. 8:12, Third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13. 9:15, 18, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 14. 12:4, Third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. iv. Other b. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. i. Beale states, “John also associates the dragon with Egypt and Rome, since the Old Testament metaphors of the sea monster predominantly portray Egypt as an opponent of God’s people, and John sees in Revelation 12 a replay of the exodus pattern.”1010 ii. Greco-Roman myth and the imagery of Revelation 12: 1. The Python Myth a. Wilson suggests, “Using traditional Jewish imagery from the Old Testament, Revelation appears to parody a familiar Hellenistic combat myth. The dragon Python pursued the goddess Leto1011, who was pregnant with Apollo. Leto fled to a distant island where she eventually gave birth to Apollo who, though just four days old, killed Python.”1012 Witherington, citing, A. Y. Collins, notes, “this chapter is based in part on an ancient combat myth, probably in its Babylonian form.”1013 So Witherington, who states, “John is drawing on the traditions in regard to the birth of Apollo, which were also appropriated by Domitian to suggest that he was a divine being and the conqueror of evil.”1014

1010 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 633. 1011 See, “In Greek mythology, Leto is the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe, the sister of Asteria, and the mother of Apollo and Artemis. The island of Kos is claimed to be her birthplace. However, Diodorus, in 2.47 states clearly that Leto was born in Hyperborea and not in Kos. In the Olympian scheme, Zeus is the father of her twins, Apollo and Artemis, which Leto conceived after her hidden beauty accidentally caught the eye of Zeus. Classical Greek myths record little about Leto other than her pregnancy and search for a place where she could give birth to Apollo and Artemis, since Hera in her jealousy caused all lands to shun her. She eventually found an island that was not attached to the ocean floor, therefore it was not considered land and she could give birth. This is her only active mythic role: once Apollo and Artemis are grown, Leto withdraws, to remain a dim and benevolent matronly figure upon Olympus, her part already played. In Roman mythology, Leto's Roman equivalent is Latona, a Latinization of her name, influenced by Etruscan Letun.” Source: https ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leto 1012 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 318-19. 1013 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 164. 1014 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 169. 265

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. Wilson is on point when he states, “The converts from paganism in Asia [Minor] would surely be familiar with this mythological account of cosmic struggle.” c. Furthermore, Wilson notes, “To this myth is added features of the story of Artemis, who was the daughter of Leto and twin of Apollo. Artemis was traditionally born just outside of Ephesus in the sacred grove of Ortygia. She too was a virgin who protected women giving birth. A second century A.D. statute, now on display in the Ephesus museum, portrays her as a queen of heaven, with the moon in the background of her three-tiered crown. This symbolism stems from her common identification as the moon goddess. Two other statues of the goddess in the museum show here wearing an extravagant necklace decorated with the twelve signs of the zodiac, which some interpreters link to the twelve stars on the woman’s head [Mary], cf., Rev 12:1).”1015 2. Tiamat Myth a. “A more primitive Babylonian myth [is] also being drawn on in our text. In it we find the war taking place between Tiamat, the seven-headed sea monster, and the gods of heaven. Tiamat’s flaunting of these gods was ended by Marduk, a young god of light, who hewed the sea monster in pieces. Marduk’s mother is portrayed similarly to the way the woman in Revelation 12 is portrayed. In addition we are told that in the war between Tiamat and the gods a third of the stars were thrown from the sky.”1016 iii. Beale indicates the devil fully intends to “tempt Christ during his ministry and to kill him, from his birth until the end of his ministry (e.g., Herod’s massacre of the infants and Luke 4:28-30). At the cross it appeared that the devil had finally succeeded, but the resurrection snatched Jesus from the power of death wielded by the serpent.”1017 See Genesis 3:1-15. Perhaps the Genesis 3:15 protoevangelium was still ringing in the ears of the serpent? 5. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 5 καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν, ἄρσεν, ὃς μέλλει ποιμαίνειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· καὶ ἡρπάσθη τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. a. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, i. “The male child is clearly Jesus the Messiah.”1018 b. who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; i. Beale indicates, “The destiny of the Christ-child is described in an allusion to Psalm 2:7-9, which prophesies that God’s Son will defeat all worldly enemies and then be enthroned as ruler over the earth.”1019

1015 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 319. 1016 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 165. 1017 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 637. 1018 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 320. 1019 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 639. 266

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza posits the question ‘as to whom the lordship of the world belongs’ is actually central to the theology of Revelation and cast between Jesus and the emperors of Rome.1020 They answer is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. c. and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. i. Mounce argues the Ascension of Jesus is in view here. “Without mention of any intervening events John moves directly from the birth of Christ to his ascension.”1021 6. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἔφυγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὅπου ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον ἡτοιμασμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τρέφωσιν αὐτὴν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα. a. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, i. Mounce posits, “The flight of the woman may in part reflect the escape of the Palestinian church to Pella at the outbreak of the Jewish war in A.D. 66.”1022 ii. Eusebius writes, 3.5.3, “The whole body, however, of the church at Jerusalem, having been commanded by a divine revelation given to men of approved piety there before the war, removed from the city and lived at a certain town beyond the Jordan called Pella. Here, those who believed in Christ removed form Jerusalem, as if holy men had entirely abandoned the royal city itself and the whole land of Judea.”1023 iii. See also Mark 13:14, “But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.” iv. Beale suggests, “The persecution is not directed against a nation of believers and unbelievers but a pure community of faith.”1024 b. so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days i. 1260 days (3.5 years/42 months) corresponds “to the period of persecution (cf., 11:2; 13:5).”1025 7. 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέμησεν καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, a. And there was war in heaven, i. Aune observes that “many [scholars] have considered to be an intrusive narrative fragment sandwiched between v 6 and v 9.”1026 ii. Beale observes, “Verses 7-12 are a narration of the defeat of the devil and his angels by Michael and his angels in heavenly combat. The actions

1020 Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), p. 124. 1021 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 234. 1022 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 234. 1023 Eusebius. Ecclesiastical History. Translated by C. F. Cruse (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2000), p. 70. 1024 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 631. 1025 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 234. 1026 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 691. 267

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 described are the heavenly counterpart of earthly events recorded in vv 1- 6.”1027 iii. Witherington posits, “A depiction of either what happened as a result of the triumphant death, resurrection, ascension, and assumption of power by the malae child (in which case the whole church age is seen as a time of being in extremis) or alternatively what happened at the end of human history. [If the later], this then would refer to a final tribulation before the end, since the Devil know his time is exceedingly short.”1028 b. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, i. Beale posits, “Daniel’s heavenly imagery of the battle of Michael and the Son of man against the wicked angels of Persia and Greece (Daniel 10:13, 21; cf., Daniel 10:16).”1029 ii. References to Michael: 1. Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.” 2. Daniel 10:21, “However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.” 3. Daniel 12:1, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” 4. Jude 1:9, “But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”” 8. 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. a. and they were not strong enough, i. Beale argues, “Christ’s resurrection immediately unleashes the effect of Michael’s victory in heaven, and the Daniel 2 imagery shows this to be an absolute and universal judgment.”1030 b. and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 9 καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ καλούμενος Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην— ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐβλήθησαν. a. And the great dragon was thrown down,

1027 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 650. 1028 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 168. 1029 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 651. 1030 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 655. 268

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Aune notes, “Since the [Greco-Roman] combat myths in which the hero fights a dragon regularly end with the destruction of the dragon, this variant has been adapted to the primeval Jewish myth of the fall of Satan.”1031 b. the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, i. Devil Διάβολος means slanderer, according to Morris.1032 ii. Satan iii. Beale indicates, “John appears also to have chosen the image of a snake because it was the most pervasive picture of pagan divinity in Asia Minor, where the seven churches he wrote to were located. For example, the serpent image was associated with the three major cults of Asclepius, Dionysus, and Zeus. This suggests that John’s depiction of the devil as a serpent served as a polemic against the pagan religions and their gods.”1033 c. who deceives the whole world; d. he was thrown down to the earth, e. and his angels were thrown down with him. i. Aune notes the material is “narrated as an eschatological event in 12:9 (as it is in Luke 10:18; cf., the language of John 12:31).”1034 ii. Luke 10:18, “And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς· Ἐθεώρουν τὸν Σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντα. iii. John 12:31, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” νῦν κρίσις ἐστὶν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω· f. Aune sees a chiasmus in this verse:1035 i. And the great dragon was thrown down, 1. the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, 2. who deceives the whole world; ii. he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren [brothers and sisters] has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 10 Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν μεγάλην ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγουσαν· Ἄρτι ἐγένετο ἡ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐβλήθη ὁ κατήγωρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν αὐτοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. a. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, b. “Now the salvation, i. Morris points out, “The co-ordination of these, each with its own article is the original, makes a very impressive list.”1036 c. and the power,

1031 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 695. 1032 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 161. 1033 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 656. 1034 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 695. 1035 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 695. 1036 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 161. 269

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 d. and the kingdom of our God e. and the authority of His Christ have come, i. According to Aune, “This is the only place in Revelation where the ἐξουσία, ‘authority,’ of the Messiah or of Christ is mentioned, though in 2:26 the risen Christ promises ἐξουσία over the nations to the conquering Christian. ii. “The term ἐξουσία is the Greek word most frequently used to translate imperium, a Latin term for supreme administrative power (in both war and the interpretation of law), first exercised by Roman kings, then by magistrates, and finally by Roman emperors.”1037 iii. Morris indicates, “Notice the reference to his Christ. The complete sovereignty of God is in mind. At the same time Christ is brought into the closest connection with God.”1038 f. for the accuser of our brethren [brothers and sisters] has been thrown down, i. “Now the decisive redemption-historical victory of Christ on earth (vv 5, 10), and of Michael in heaven (vv 7-9) is identified as the basis of the victory that suffering Christians on earth win over the serpent throughout history.”1039 See 12:11. g. he who accuses them before our God day and night. i. The term accuser κατηγορέω (to accuse), κατήγωρ (accuser), ‘accuser,’ is a satan.1040 ןָטָשׂ literal translation of the Hebrew ii. See Zechariah 3:1-5, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. 4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” 5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.” 11. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 11 καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀρνίου καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησαν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἄχρι θανάτου· a. Aune posits, “This entire verse, as well as the entire section in vv 10-12, is probably a redactional interpolation by John.”1041 In my estimation, it is John’s synthesis of his own Gospel expressed logically in eschatological terms. Revelation 12:10-12, gets at the very heart of the Apocalypse. b. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony,

1037 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 700. 1038 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 162. 1039 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 663. 1040 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 702. 1041 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 702. 270

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Overcame (ἐνίκησαν aorist active indicative third person plural of νικάω). ii. Beale argues, believers should rejoice because “Christ’s kingdom has been established, the devil as lost his accusatorial position in heaven, and the saints can overcome his accusations (vv 7-11).” c. and they did not love their life even when faced with death. i. Love (ἠγάπησαν aorist active indicative third person plural of ἀγαπάω). ii. Life (ψυχὴν nounce accusative singular feminine of ψυχή). iii. 12. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” 12 διὰ τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε, οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες. οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἔχων θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει. a. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. i. Heavens/οὐρανοὶ - “The word heaven (οὐρανός) occurs over fifty times in the Apocalypse, always in the singular except here. The reason for this lone occurrence of the plural in the call for the heavens to rejoice is that the clause echoes a series of Old Testament prophecies that figuratively exhort the heavens to rejoice when God’s redemptive kingdom and judgment of the wicked takes place (Deuteronomy 32:43; 1 Chronicles 16:31; Psalm 96:11; Isaiah 44:23; 45:8; 49:13; Daniel 3:59).”1042 b. Woe to the earth and the sea, c. because the devil has come down to you, d. having great wrath, e. knowing that he has only a short time.” 13. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 13 Καὶ ὅτε εἶδεν ὁ δράκων ὅτι ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐδίωξεν τὴν γυναῖκα ἥτις ἔτεκεν τὸν ἄρσενα. a. And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, b. he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. i. He persecuted (ἐδίωξεν aorist active indicative third person singular of διώκω). ii. 14. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 14 καὶ ἐδόθησαν τῇ γυναικὶ αἱ δύο πτέρυγες τοῦ ἀετοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, ἵνα πέτηται εἰς τὴν ἔρημον εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, ὅπου τρέφεται ἐκεῖ καιρὸν καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὄφεως. a. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, i. Mounce conjects the two wings are “divine deliverance and enablement.”1043 ii. See Isaiah 40:31. b. so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, c. where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time,

1042 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 666. 1043 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 241. 271

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Mounce suggests it is possible this period of time is a time of training in preparation for war.1044 d. from the presence of the serpent. 15. 15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 15 καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ὄφις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω τῆς γυναικὸς ὕδωρ ὡς ποταμόν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ποταμοφόρητον ποιήσῃ. a. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, i. Witherington suggests the Exodus/Sinai events are in view here.1045 b. so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. i. Josephus Wars, 4.7.5., writes of March, A.D. 68, “Now Placidus's concern was to exclude them in their flight from getting into the village; and causing his horse to march continually on that side of them, he then turned short upon them, and at the same time his men made use of their darts, and easily took their aim at those that were the nearest to them, as they made those that were further off turn back by the terror they were in, till at last the most courageous of them brake through those horsemen and fled to the wall of the village. And now those that guarded the wall were in great doubt what to do; for they could not bear the thoughts of excluding those that came from Gadara, because of their own people that were among them; and yet, if they should admit them, they expected to perish with them, which came to pass accordingly; for as they were crowding together at the wall, the Roman horsemen were just ready to fall in with them. However, the guards prevented them, and shut the gates, when Placidus made an assault upon them, and fighting courageously till it was dark, he got possession of the wall, and of the people that were in the city, when the useless multitude were destroyed; but those that were more potent ran away, and the soldiers plundered the houses, and set the village on fire. As for those that ran out of the village, they stirred up such as were in the country, and exaggerating their own calamities, and telling them that the whole army of the Romans were upon them, they put them into great fear on every side; so they got in great numbers together, and fled to Jericho, for they knew no other place that could afford them any hope of escaping, it being a city that had a strong wall, and a great multitude of inhabitants. But Placidus, relying much upon his horsemen, and his former good success, followed them, and slew all that he overtook, as far as Jordan; and when he had driven the whole multitude to the river-side, where they were stopped by the current, (for it had been augmented lately by rains, and was not fordable,) he put his soldiers in array over against them; so the necessity the others were in provoked them to hazard a battle, because there was no place whither they could flee. They then extended themselves a very great way along the banks of the river, and sustained the darts that were thrown at them, as well as the attacks of the horsemen, who beat many of them, and pushed them into the current. At which fight, hand to hand, fifteen thousand of them were slain, while the number of those that were unwillingly forced to leap into Jordan was prodigious. There were besides two thousand and two hundred taken

1044 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 241. 1045 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 171. 272

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 prisoners. A mighty prey was taken also, consisting of asses, and sheep, and camels, and oxen.”1046 ii. 16. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 16 καὶ ἐβοήθησεν ἡ γῆ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς καὶ κατέπιεν τὸν ποταμὸν ὃν ἔβαλεν ὁ δράκων ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ· a. But the earth helped the woman, b. and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. i. There is an allusion “to the exodus and Israel’s wilderness experience. ‘The earth swallowed’ the Egyptians when they pursued Israel through the Red Sea (Exodus 15:12).”1047 17. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. 17 καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς, τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ· a. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, i. The dragon’s efforts “to destroy the church have been thwarted (Matthew 16:18). But he does not cease his attempts to exterminate God’s people.” b. and went off to make war with the rest of her children, i. Make war 1. Wilson states, “Revelation portrays the reality of spiritual warfare in the Christian life. The dragon has proclaimed a declaration of war against all of God’s children, so we are now combatants in that struggle, willing or not.”1048 ii. Children (σπέρματος noun genitive singular neuter of σπέρμα). Aune indicates, “σπέρμα, ‘seed, offspring,’ occurs only here in Revelation and is unexpected since only the male child has been mentioned previously (vv 4- 5, 13), with no hint that he has or will have any siblings (on the notion of Christians as siblings of Christ, see Hebrews 2:11-13).”1049 iii. The phrase τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς, literally ‘her seed,’ is an unusual expression, for ‘seed’ and ‘offspring’ are normally associated with a male progenitor.1050

1046 Josephus, The Jewish Wars. Translated by William Whiston, 1737. Source: https: //www.sacred- texts.com/jud/josephus/war-4.htm 1047 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 675. Note, The Targum of Jonathan on Exodus 15:12, “The sea spake to the earth, Receive thy children: but the earth spake to the sea, Receive thy murderers. And the sea was not willing to overwhelm them, and the earth was not willing to swallow them up. The earth was afraid to receive them, lest they should be required from her in the day of the great judgment in the world to come, even as the blood of Habel will be required of her: whereupon Thou, O Lord, didst stretch forth Thy right hand in swearing to the earth that in the world to come they should not be required of her. And the earth opened her mouth and consumed them.” Source: https ://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Exodus. 15.12?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en 1048 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 323. 1049 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 708. 1050 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 708. 273

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iv. This “expression is probably an allusion to Genesis 3:15.”1051 c. who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. i. What are the commandments of God referred to here? ii. Keeping or holding to the testimony of Jesus is a reference to refusing to denounce faith in Jesus under persecution and suffering. See usage: 1. 1 Timothy 6:12-14, “12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2. 2 Timothy 1:7-9, “7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 3. Revelation 1:9, “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” 4. Revelation 6:9, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;” 5. Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” 6. Revelation 19:10, “Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 7. Revelation 20:4, “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” iii. 18. 12:18/13:1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. 12:18 καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης. a. Citing Caird, Witherington states, “Caird may be right that the dragon is returning to his native home for reinforcements, and it may also be true that the river is the

1051 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 708. 274

NOUTHETICS 1. Wilson is correct, stating, “Because Satan can no longer accuse God’s people in heaven, he begins a campaign of terror against them on earth.”1053 2. Witherington posits, “It seems probable that at least some, if not many, of John’s audience would have recognized what he was doing. One of the implications of such recognition would be that, in Christ, all the primal myths and the truths they enshrine come to fulfillment. He [Jesus] is the incarnation of these universal truths. He proves to be the archetype of which all these others are mere types or fictional copies. Or as J. R. R. Tolkien once put it – in Christ myths become reality in human history.”1054 3. Regarding Greco-Roman myths as a cultural parallel, Morris acknowledges, “None of the parallels is very exact but it is just possible that John has taken some of his material from such myths. If so, his purpose will be to show that the true answer to men’s problems is in Christ, not in paganism. The true mother of the incarnate Son of God is the messianic people – not Leto, nor any other goddess of pagan veneration.”1055 4. Beale correct in noting, “The ‘dragon’ is more than a mere metaphor for an evil kingdom [Egypt or Rome]. It also stands for the devil himself as the representative head of evil kingdoms, as 12:9 and 20:2, 10, make explicit. The devil is the force behind the wicked kingdoms who persecute God’s people.”1056 5. Witherington argues, “John’s reuse of this ancient myth [Apollo] challenges the divine claims and arrogant presumptions of the imperial cult. Christ, not the emperor, is the real victor over the malevolent forces of chaos, darkness, and wickedness. John unmasks the Roman power for what it truly is – a tool of Satan.”1057 6. Matthew 16:18-19, “18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

1052 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 172, citing G. B. Caird, Revelation (1998), p. 159-60. 1053 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 321. 1054 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 165. 1055 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 155. 1056 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 634. 1057 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 169. 275

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 13:1-18 [1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.] Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” 5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Καὶ εἶδον ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον, ἔχον κέρατα δέκα καὶ κεφαλὰς ἑπτά, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεράτων αὐτοῦ δέκα διαδήματα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ὀνόματα βλασφημίας. 2 καὶ τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδον ἦν ὅμοιον παρδάλει, καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὡς ἄρκου, καὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ὡς στόμα λέοντος. καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ δράκων τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξουσίαν μεγάλην. 3 καὶ μίαν ἐκ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐσφαγμένην εἰς θάνατον, καὶ ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ ἐθεραπεύθη. καὶ ἐθαυμάσθη ὅλη ἡ γῆ ὀπίσω τοῦ θηρίου, 4 καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ δράκοντι ὅτι ἔδωκεν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῷ θηρίῳ, καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θηρίῳ λέγοντες· Τίς ὅμοιος τῷ θηρίῳ, καὶ τίς δύναται πολεμῆσαι μετ’ αὐτοῦ; 5 Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα καὶ βλασφημίας, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ποιῆσαι μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο. 6 καὶ ἤνοιξε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ εἰς βλασφημίας πρὸς τὸν θεόν, βλασφημῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ, τοὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σκηνοῦντας. 7 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ νικῆσαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ λαὸν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ἔθνος. 8 καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὗ οὐ γέγραπται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου τοῦ ἐσφαγμένου ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. 9 Εἴ τις ἔχει οὖς ἀκουσάτω. 10 εἴ τις εἰς

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 αἰχμαλωσίαν, εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑπάγει· εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι. ὧδέ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις τῶν ἁγίων. 11 Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἶχεν κέρατα δύο ὅμοια ἀρνίῳ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὡς δράκων. 12 καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου πᾶσαν ποιεῖ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ποιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦντας ἵνα προσκυνήσουσιν τὸ θηρίον τὸ πρῶτον, οὗ ἐθεραπεύθη ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. 13 καὶ ποιεῖ σημεῖα μεγάλα, ἵνα καὶ πῦρ ποιῇ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνειν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων. 14 καὶ πλανᾷ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θηρίου, λέγων τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ποιῆσαι εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ, ὃς ἔχει τὴν πληγὴν τῆς μαχαίρης καὶ ἔζησεν. 15 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ δοῦναι πνεῦμα τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου, ἵνα καὶ λαλήσῃ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου καὶ ποιήσῃ ἵνα ὅσοι ἐὰν μὴ προσκυνήσωσιν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου ἀποκτανθῶσιν. 16 καὶ ποιεῖ πάντας, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς, καὶ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους καὶ τοὺς δούλους, ἵνα δῶσιν αὐτοῖς χάραγμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς ἢ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν, 17 καὶ ἵνα μή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ μὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγμα, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ. 18 ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν· καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ.

INTRODUCTION 1. Daniel 7:1-8 is part of the language and imagery of Revelation 13. “So influential was Daniel’s vision that it, like the Exodus in the prophecies of an earlier age, was absorbed into the myth; and thereafter no Jewish or Christian writer could use the lens of this myth except as it had been reground by Daniel. The author of Revelation, an even more imaginative and creative artist that the author of Daniel, derives from the myth of his glassy sea (4:6) and the seven-headed monster that rises from it (13:1), but the monster exhibits characteristics of all four of Daniels’ beasts. For him the current embodiment of the chaos monster is Rome, but he sees Romans as the residual legatee of all the pagan empires of the past. Because he uses the universal language of myth, what he has to say about Rome in the reign of Domitian is equally applicable to totalitarian and tyrannical power at any other period of the world’s history.”1058 2. Wilson states, “John’s next vision discloses the dragons two agents who will make war against the saints.”1059 3. Aune argues, “These two beasts clearly reflect the Jewish myth of Leviathan, the female monster from the sea [see Genesis 1:21], and Behemoth, the male monster from the desert.”1060 John, skillfully using this Jewish myth in the background, weaves his persecutory world in Asia Minor into the field of view, giving an eschatological perspective to this myth.1061 4. Aune, citing Roloff, observes Revelation 13 “is a perverse reflection of the investiture of the Lamb in Revelation 5. Just as the Lamb received the sealed scroll from the one seated upon the throne (5:7), and thereby received power and authority (5:12), so the beast from the sea receives authority from the dragon (13:2). Just as the Lamb is the ruler over people from all tribes, languages, and nations purchased through his blood (5:9), so the beast from the sea rules over tribes, peoples, languages, and nations (13:7). Just as the heavenly cherubim, representing the entire created order, offer their homage to the Lamb (5:12), so

1058 Caird, G. B. The Language and Imagery of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 229. 1059 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 324. 1060 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 728. 1061 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 728-30. 277

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 the inhabitants of the earth fall prostrate before the beast, pay him homage, and off him a song of praise (13:4). Just as the sign of recognition of the Lamb is the marks of his slaughter (5:6), so the beast also bears a mortal wound that has been healed (13:3).”1062 5. Wilson is correct when he states the dragon and the two beast, when seen together, form a “counter unholy trinity.”1063 6. Beale summaries 13:11-17 in the following statement, “The State authorizes its political, religious, and economic allies as its agents to persecute the church and to deceive the ungodly.”1064

EXEGESIS 1. [1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.] Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. Καὶ εἶδον ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον, ἔχον κέρατα δέκα καὶ κεφαλὰς ἑπτά, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεράτων αὐτοῦ δέκα διαδήματα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ὀνόματα βλασφημίας. a. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, i. Who is this beast? Nero? Domitian? 1. Lactantius, in his Divine Institutes writes the following about Domitian, “After an interval of some years from the death of Nero, there arose another tyrant no less wicked (Domitian), who, although his government was exceedingly odious, for a very long time oppressed his subjects, and reigned in security, until at length he stretched forth his impious hands against the Lord. Having been instigated by evil demons to persecute the righteous people, he was then delivered into the power of his enemies, and suffered due punishment. To be murdered in his own palace was not vengeance ample enough: the very memory of his name was erased. For although he had erected many admirable edifices, and rebuilt the Capitol, and left other distinguished marks of his magnificence, yet the senate did so persecute his name, as to leave no remains of his statues, or traces of the inscriptions put up in honour of him; and by most solemn and severe decrees it branded him, even after death, with perpetual infamy. Thus, the commands of the tyrant having been rescinded, the Church was not only restored to her former state, but she shone forth with additional splendour, and became more and more flourishing. And in the times that followed, while many well- deserving princes guided the helm of the Roman empire, the Church suffered no violent assaults from her enemies, and she extended her hands unto the east and unto the west, insomuch that now there was not any the most remote corner of the earth to which the divine religion had not penetrated, or any nation of manners so barbarous

1062 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 726. Jürgen Roloff, The Revelation of John, translated by J. E. Alsup (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), p. 135. 1063 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 324. 1064 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 707. 278

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 that did not, by being converted to the worship of God, become mild and gentle.”1065 ii. Coming up out of the sea 1. Mounce states, “In 11:7 and 17:8 the beast is said to come up out of the Abyss. Any contradiction is only apparent: in both cases the reference is to the source of all evil.”1066 iii. The sea 1. John’s description of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13, “[contributes] new features to the primaeval ocean monster of Revelation 13:1-2,”1067 of the ancient Mediterranean world. 2. According to Mounce, “The ancient world commonly associated the sea with evil, and for the last great enemy of God’s people to arise from the reservoir of chaos would be entirely appropriate.”1068 3. “Ancient people viewed the sea as the habitat of evil deities that ruled the world. Storms at sea were an expression of the wrath of the sea gods. In the Semitic world there was a belief that the sea personified the power that fought against the deity (Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 3.1406).”1069 4. Anchoring into the Sitz im leben1070 of the first century world, Beale, citing Ramsey, states, in general “the people of Asia Minor thought of whatever came ‘from the sea’ as foreign and whatever came from the land was native. That is, one of the initial expressions of the first beast was Rome, whose governors repeatedly came by sea to Ephesus. Roman ships literally seemed to be rising out of the sea as they appeared on the horizon off the coast of Asia Minor. The second beast represented native political and economic authorities.”1071 5. Aune argues “The beast from the sea in 13:1-10 appears to represent the Roman Empire (not an individual).”1072 Aune continues, “[The]

1065 Lactantius, Divine Institues, Source: https://archive.org/stream/theworksoflactan00lactuoft/theworksoflactan00lactuoft_djvu.txt 1066 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 244. 1067 Caird, G. B. The Language and Imagery of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 265. 1068 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 244. 1069 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 244, n 6. 1070 The phrase, Sitz im Leben is a “term employed by German Form Critics and one difficult to translate exactly into English. It denotes the social context or ‘life setting’ in which a narrative emerged. The point being made is that particular items in the OT can only be understood when they are related to the culture and social life of ancient Israel. Before the sources which comprise the Pentateuch were written, they were transmitted orally, probably within the context of worship (their ‘Sitz im Leben’). The character of the social situation determines the style of the communication. In NT scholarship critics try to relate sayings of Jesus both to the Sitz im Leben of the Church in which they were transmitted and to the Sitz im Leben of Jesus' ministry in which they may have originated. It has been suggested that sayings of Jesus can only be regarded as authentically his when they can be slotted into neither the experience of the early Church, nor to that of 1st-cent. CE Judaism. Others regard this criterion as excessively sceptical, on the ground that the teaching of Jesus, as a Jew of the 1st cent., must have reflected that of contemporary Judaism.” Source: http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e1778 1071 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 682, citing William M. Ramsey, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse (London: Hodder and Stoughton), p 103-4. 1072 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 729. 279

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 beast from the sea, is at least in part, an allusion to the Jewish tradition of Leviathan, a female monster who was separated from Behemoth on the fifth day of creation and assigned to the sea.”1073 See Genesis 1:21, “God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” 6. According to Aune, annually the proconsul representing the Roman emperor, arrived each year in the Roman province of Asia, [he] was bound to set foot first in Ephesus (Cambridge Ancient History 11:581).” 7. See also: a. Psalm 104:25-28, “There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. 26 There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it. 27 They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. 28 You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.” b. Isaiah 27:1, “In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.” b. having ten horns and seven heads, i. The ten horns symbolize the client kings of the seven heads.1074 ii. The seven heads symbolize the rulers of the beast’s kingdom.1075 iii. Mounce notes, “Domitian was addressed as Dominus et Deus noster, Our Lord and God.”1076 See comment above at Revelation 4:11. c. and on his horns were ten diadems, i. “Wilson states, “Domitian wore a gold crown engraved with the images of Rome’s chief deities Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.”1077 ii. Aune indicates, “In various Hellenistic ruler cults, part of the characteristic paraphernalia for priestly colleges charged with overseeing various ruler cults was a crown bearing the image of particular divine rulers.”1078 d. and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2. 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 2 καὶ τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδον ἦν ὅμοιον παρδάλει, καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὡς ἄρκου, καὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ὡς στόμα λέοντος. καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ δράκων τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξουσίαν μεγάλην. a. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard,

1073 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 732. 1074 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 324. 1075 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 324. 1076 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 244, see Suetonius, Dom. 13. 1077 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 324. 1078 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 734. 280

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. and his feet were like those of a bear, c. and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. d. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3. 3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 3 καὶ μίαν ἐκ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐσφαγμένην εἰς θάνατον, καὶ ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ ἐθεραπεύθη. καὶ ἐθαυμάσθη ὅλη ἡ γῆ ὀπίσω τοῦ θηρίου, a. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, b. and his fatal wound was healed. c. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4. 4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” 4 καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ δράκοντι ὅτι ἔδωκεν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῷ θηρίῳ, καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θηρίῳ λέγοντες· Τίς ὅμοιος τῷ θηρίῳ, καὶ τίς δύναται πολεμῆσαι μετ’ αὐτοῦ; a. they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; b. and they worshiped the beast, saying, c. “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” 5. 5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 5 Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα καὶ βλασφημίας, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ποιῆσαι μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο. a. There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, i. “By ‘blasphemous names,’ the author could mean the titles and epithets used by Roman emperors, including κύριος, ‘lord,’ σωτήρ, ‘savior,’ and ‘divi filus, ‘son of god’: cf., D. Cuss, Imperial Cult and Honorary Terms in the New Testament, 53-74.”1079 b. and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 6 καὶ ἤνοιξε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ εἰς βλασφημίας πρὸς τὸν θεόν, βλασφημῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ, τοὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σκηνοῦντας. a. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, b. to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. c. 7. 7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 7 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ νικῆσαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ λαὸν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ἔθνος. a. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, b. and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 8 καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὗ οὐ γέγραπται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου τοῦ ἐσφαγμένου ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. a. All who dwell on the earth will worship him,

1079 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 734. 281

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 9 Εἴ τις ἔχει οὖς ἀκουσάτω. a. Beale states, “Those [believers] shaken back into spiritual reality will perceive God’s revelation in the Apocalypse and the Satanic nature of the pagan institutions to which they are ready to accommodate.”1080 b. Beale indicates, “The exhortation ‘he who has an ear’ at the conclusion of each of the seven letters either immediately precedes or follows reference to ‘the one who conquers’. There this combination was intended to encourage understanding of perseverance in the midst of worldly defeat as spiritual victory.”1081 This idea is an inversion of our reflex to defend and survive under treat. c. This language is used by Jesus: i. Matthew 11:15, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ii. Matthew 13:9, “He who has ears, let him hear.” iii. Matthew 13:43, “He who has ears, let him hear.” iv. Mark 4:9, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” v. Mark 4:23, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” vi. Mark 7:16, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” vii. Luke 8:8, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” viii. Luke 14:35, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” d. Cf., are review of John’s usage in the Apocalypse. i. Revelation 2:7, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ii. Revelation 2:11, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” iii. Revelation 2:17, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” iv. Revelation 2:29, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” v. Revelation 3:6, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” vi. Revelation 3:13, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” vii. Revelation 3:22, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” viii. Revelation 13:9, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” e. Other 10. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. 10 εἴ τις εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν, εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑπάγει· εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι. ὧδέ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις τῶν ἁγίων. a. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; b. if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. i. In my estimation, this text implies that believers who take up armed resistance will only suffer the same fate.

1080 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 704. 1081 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 705. 282

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Beale however, argues that the second clause is synonymous with the first, if you are destined to captivity or to die by the sword, it will happen.1082 c. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints i. Beal notes, “The emphasis here, as in 6:2-11, is not on the punishment of the wicked but on the suffering of God’s people…the saints [are called] to endure faithfully through such persecution.”1083 11. 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. 11 Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἶχεν κέρατα δύο ὅμοια ἀρνίῳ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὡς δράκων. a. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; i. Aune indicates, “The historical paradigm for the antagonist in early Judaism was Antiochus IV Epiphanies (Daniel 11:36-39; 1 Macc 1:20-61; 2 Macc 5:11-6:11).”1084 ii. Beale indicates, “This beast from the land has been variously identified as Satan, Antichrist, the Roman imperial priesthood, the Catholic Church (so the Reformers), and false teachers.”1085 iii. It is clear that this beast is involved in the promotion and propagandizing of religion in view of the moniker of false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10).1086 b. and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon i. Beale posits, “As is generally accepted, this image is also a parody of the messianic Lamb of 5:6 and has an ironic relation with that Lamb.”1087 ii. According to Beale, the beast is a false prophet. “Jesus also likened false prophets to beasts and foretold that ‘false prophets’ would ‘come…in sheep’s clothing but are inwardly ravenous wolves’(Matthew 7:15).”1088 iii. To the point, Beale argues, “The image of a wolf in lamb’s clothing suggests a traitor within the fold of the church. Though the beast professes to represent the truth and appears harmless as a lamb, his inner Satanic nature is revealed through his speaking with the authority of the dragon, reflecting the alluring, deceptive speech of Satan, the dragon, that led to the sin of Adam and Eve (cf., 12:9).”1089 iv. “Therefore, this imagery and background suggest deception within the covenant community itself. Whereas the first beast speaks loudly and defiantly against God, the second beast makes the first beast’s claims sound plausible and persuasive. False teachers in the church are encouraging compromise with the culture’s idolatrous institutions, which are all associated in some way with the Roman cult (cf., the Nicolaitans, false prophets, and Jezebel in chapter 2). Therefore, it takes a discerning Christian to detect the evil inherent in the second beast.”1090

1082 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 704. 1083 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 704-05. 1084 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 729. 1085 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 707. 1086 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 707. 1087 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 707. 1088 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 708. 1089 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 708. 1090 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 708. 283

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 12. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 12 καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου πᾶσαν ποιεῖ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ποιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦντας ἵνα προσκυνήσουσιν τὸ θηρίον τὸ πρῶτον, οὗ ἐθεραπεύθη ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. a. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. b. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, c. whose fatal wound was healed. 13. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 13 καὶ ποιεῖ σημεῖα μεγάλα, ἵνα καὶ πῦρ ποιῇ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνειν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων. a. He performs great signs, b. so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. i. Beale posits, “His activities were described by an ironic echo of the acts of Moses, whose prophetic authority was validated by ‘great signs’ (e.g., Exodus 4:17, 30; 10:2; 11:10).”1091 ii. Mounce posits, “In keeping with a long biblical tradition understood as a parody of Elijah, John goes on to offer the reason for the false prophet’s ability to perform spectacular signs. Deut 13:1 warns of the false prophet who would lead people to worship other gods by means of signs and wonders. The second beast imitates the miracles of the true prophets to deceive the people into worshiping the beast.”1092 iii. “As a false Elijah he prepares the way for a false Messiah.”1093 iv. See the following: 1. Deuteronomy 13:1-3, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” 2. Mark 13:21-23, “21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” 3. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12, “8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the

1091 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 708. 1092 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 257. 1093 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 257. 284

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” v. “That an inside threat by a ‘false apostle’ is alluded to is apparent form the fact that the second beast’s authority is modeled on the credentials of Christ’s apostles in that:1094 1. (1) the beast is a successor of his master in both ministry and authority (Rev 13:12a; cf. Acts 1:1-11), 2. (2) his attempts to persuade others to worship his master are inextricably linked to his master’s resurrection (Reve 13:12b, 14b; cf., Acts 2:22-47), and 3. (3) he performs miraculous ‘signs’ as concrete manifestations of his authority (Rev 13:13; cf. Acts 2:43; 5:12; 15:12).” 14. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. 14 καὶ πλανᾷ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θηρίου, λέγων τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ποιῆσαι εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ, ὃς ἔχει τὴν πληγὴν τῆς μαχαίρης καὶ ἔζησεν. a. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, b. telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. i. Those who dwell on the earth 1. According to Mounce, this is a “semitechnical designation for the entire body of unregenerated humanity.”1095 15. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 15 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ δοῦναι πνεῦμα τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου, ἵνα καὶ λαλήσῃ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου καὶ ποιήσῃ ἵνα ὅσοι ἐὰν μὴ προσκυνήσωσιν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου ἀποκτανθῶσιν. a. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, b. so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. i. According to Wilson, “Statues that spoke, typically in oracular utterances, were known in the Greco-Roman world. Plutarch noted that a particular statue spoke twice after it was erected in a temple.”1096 ii. Mounce notes, “Belief in statues that spoke and performed miracles is widely attested in ancient literature. Simon Magus is reputed to have brought statues to life.”1097 See Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 1.23.1-3 and Justin, Apologia 1.26.

1094 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 709. 1095 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 257. 1096 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 328. 1097 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 258. 285

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iii. Beale posits, “The description of the beast killing those who do not ‘worship the image’ is inspired by Nebuchadnezzar’s command in Daniel 3 that all should worship his image of be killed.”1098 16. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 16 καὶ ποιεῖ πάντας, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς, καὶ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους καὶ τοὺς δούλους, ἵνα δῶσιν αὐτοῖς χάραγμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς ἢ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν, a. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, i. Compare with Philippians 2:9-11. ii. Beale indicates the χάραγμα or the number of his name is a “parody and opposite of the ‘seal’ in 7:3-8, which is divine ‘name written on the forehead’ of true believers (14:1; so likewise 22:4; 3:12).”1099 b. to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, i. Mark (χάραγμα noun accusative singular neuter). According to Beale, “The χάραγμα was used of the emperor’s seal on business contracts and the impress of the Roman ruler’s head on coins. If this background is in mind in Revelation 13, then it enforces the metaphorical idea that the χάραγμα alludes to the state’s political and economic ‘stamp of approval,’ give only to those who go along with its religious demands.”1100 ii. Beale conjects, “The demand that everyone receive ‘a mark on their right hand or on their forehead’ could be an allusion to the ancient practice of branding or tattooing disobedient slaves, [defeated] soldiers (Plutarch, iii. Pericles 26;1101 Herodotus 7.233), and loyal devotees of gods of various religions (Lucian, De Syria Dea 59; Herodotus 2.113).”1102

1098 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 711. 1099 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 716. 1100 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 715. 1101 Plutarch writes, Pericles 26.1-4. “26 1 Close on the heels of his victorious pursuit came his seizure of the harbour, and then he laid formal siege to the Samians, who, somehow or other, still had the daring to sally forth and fight with him before their walls. But soon a second and a larger armament came from Athens, and the Samians were completely beleaguered and shut in. Then Pericles took sixty triremes and sailed out into the main sea, as most authorities say, because he wished to meet a fleet of Phoenician ships which was coming to the aid of the Samians, and fight it as great a distance from Samos as possible; but according to Stesimbrotus, because he had designs on Cyprus, which seems incredible. 2 But in any case, whichever design he cherished, he seems to have made a mistake. For no sooner had he sailed off than Melissus, the son of Ithagenes, a philosopher who was then acting as general at Samos, despising either the small number of ships that were left, or the inexperience of the generals in charge of them, persuaded his fellow-citizens to make an attack upon the Athenians. In the battle that ensued the Samians were victorious, taking many of their enemy captive, and destroying many of their ships, so that they commanded the sea and laid in large store of such necessaries for the war as they did not have before. 3 And Aristotle says that Pericles was himself also defeated by Melissus in the sea-fight which preceded this. The Samians retaliated upon the Athenians by branding their prisoners in the forehead with owls; for the Athenians had once branded some of them with the samaena. Now the samaena is a ship of war with a boar's head design for prow and ram, but more capacious than usual and paunchlike, so that it is a good deep-sea traveller and a swift sailer too. 4 It got this name because it made its first appearance in Samos, where Polycrates the tyrant had some built. To these brand-marks, they say, the verse of Aristophanes made riddling reference:— "For oh! how lettered is the folk of the Samians!" Source: http ://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Pericles*.html 1102 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 715. 286

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iv. Lucian reports the following expressions of devotion in pagan religions in Asia Minor, “57. They sacrifice victims not in the temple itself, but when the sacrificer has placed his victim at the altar and poured a libation he brings the animal home alive, and returning to his own house he slays his victim and utters prayers. 58. There is also another method of sacrifice, as follows: They adorn live victims with ribbons and throw them headlong down from the temple's entrance, and these naturally die after their fall. Some actually throw their own children down, not as they do the cattle, but they sew them into a sack and toss them down, visiting them with curses and declaring that they are not their children, but are cows. 59. They all tattoo themselves—some on the hands and some on the neck—and so it comes that all the Assyrians bear stigmata.” 60. They have another curious custom, in which they agree with the Trœzenians alone of the Greeks. I will explain this too. The Trœzenians have made a law for their maidens and youths alike never to marry till they have dedicated their locks to Hippolytus; and this they do. It is the same at Hierapolis. The young men dedicate the first growth on their chin, then they let down the locks of the maidens, which have been sacred from their birth; they then cut these off in the temple and place them in vessels, some in silver vessels, some in gold, and after placing these in the temple and inscribing the name on the vessel they depart. I performed this act myself when a youth, and my hair remains still in the temple, with my name on the vessel.” 1103 v. According Mounce, “Ptolemy Philopator branded Jews who submitted to registration with the ivy leaf, the mark of Dionysiac worship (3 Maccabees 2:29).”1104 Cf., 3 Maccabees 2:25-30, “25 When he arrived in Egypt, he increased in his deeds of malice, abetted by the previously mentioned drinking companions and comrades, who were strangers to everything just. 26 He was not content with his uncounted licentious deeds, but even continued with such audacity that he framed evil reports in the various localities; and many of his friends, intently observing the king’s purpose, themselves also followed his will. 27 He proposed to inflict public disgrace on the Jewish community, and he set up a stone on the tower in the courtyard with this inscription: 28 “None of those who do not sacrifice shall enter their sanctuaries, and all Jews shall be subjected to a registration involving poll tax and to the status of slaves. Those who object to this are to be taken by force and put to death; 29 those who are registered are also to be branded on their bodies by fire with the ivy-leaf symbol of Dionysus, and they shall also be reduced to their former limited status.” 30 In order that he might not appear to be an enemy of all, he inscribed below: “But if any of them prefer to join those who have been initiated into the mysteries, they shall have equal citizenship with the Alexandrians.” vi. “If branding of slaves is in mind here, then the beast’s worshipers are seen as his property. If branding of soldiers or of religious devotees is in view,

1103 The Syrian Goddess, by Lucian, translated by Herbert A. Strong and John Garstang, 1913.Source: https ://sacred- texts.com/cla/luc/tsg/tsg07.htm#an_59 1104 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 259. 287

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 the worshipers are seen as his faithful followers.”1105 All are therefore, unbelievers. 17. 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 17 καὶ ἵνα μή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ μὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγμα, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ. a. and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, i. Economic sanctions or boycotts were effective means to harass and punish noncompliant peoples. “Its purpose seems to be to harass believers rather than the method by which they are to be put to death (v 15).”1106 ii. See Revelation 2:9 and 6:5-6, “where it is said that economic measures are directed against Christians.”1107 b. except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. i. “The mark is the number of the name.”1108 ii. Cf., “an often quoted graffito from Pompeii reads, Φιλω ης αριθμος ϕμε (‘I love her whose number is 545.’)”1109 iii. Beale posits, “Possibly, as in the later persecutions under Diocletian and Decius, certificates were issued to those loyal to the emperor and participating in the required ritual of the imperial religion.”1110 iv. Beale notes, “The description here is of either a practice beginning to take shape even in the late first century or a portrayal of a policy that John anticipates will occur at some point in the future.”1111 18. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. 18 ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν· καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ. a. Here is wisdom. b. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, c. for the number is that of a man; i. “The number of the beast is the number of a certain man. Some writers feel that the clause should read, ‘for it is a human [rather than a supernatural] number.’”1112 d. and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. i. Keener states, “There is no dispute that the name ‘Jesus’ comes to ‘888.’ Nevertheless, Revelation mentions the name rather than a number, saving the import of symbolic numbers for the army of 144,000.”1113

1105 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 715. 1106 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 260. 1107 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 715. 1108 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 260. 1109 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 260. 1110 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 715. 1111 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 715. 1112 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 261. 1113 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 368. 288

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Mounce argues the number 666 represents a “definitive historical person.”1114 iii. Historical possibilities are: 1. Domitian: Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus (Stauffer).1115 2. 666 is the triangular number of 36 (1 plus 2 plus 3 etc. up to 36), and 36 is the triangular number of 8 - the number of the Antichrist – cf., 17:11, (G. A. van den Bergh va Eysigna).1116 3. Nero Caesar. “The number of the beast is also the number of a man and that when the Greek word for ‘beast’ is translated into Hebrew it has the numeric value of 666 (Bauckham).”1117 Wilson notes, “Nero is the only first-century emperor whose name can be calculated to equal 666.” And yet, Beale argues, this cannot be calculated in Greek. If the name Nerōn Kaisar is transliterated into Hebrew it does yield 666.1118 4. The 666 is code for incompleteness. We may understand this code as emphasizing incompleteness in a profound and intensified manner, i.e., “incompleteness, incompleteness, incompleteness.” As such, this radical and extreme expression of incompleteness serves to demonstrate that all of humanity and the efforts of humans to control their own lives or the lives of others, leaves each of them incomplete, empty, broken, damaged, etc. 666 is extreme humanism and it demonstrates the horrible deficiencies of humanity when compared to God, who is perfectly complete and lacking in nothing. According to Beale, “Six has the idea of incompleteness [as seen in] Genesis 1, by way of Psalm 90:4. The triple repetition of sixes connotes the intensification of incompleteness and failure that is summed up in the beast more than anywhere else among fallen humanity. In the Bible the number three signifies completeness, as, for example, in the completeness of the Godhead in Revelation 1:4- 5, which is parodied by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet here in chapter 13 (and in 16:13). Therefore, six repeated three times indicates the completeness of sinful incompleteness found in the beast. The beast epitomizes imperfection, while appearing to achieve perfection. Three sixes are a parody of the divine trinity of three sevens. That is, though the beast attempts to mimic God, Christ, and the prophetic Spirit of truth (cf., 19:10), he falls short of succeeding. He cannot complete his attempts to image God and exalt himself above God. Sixes are used instead of sevens in 13:18 because of the repeated emphasis in vv 3-14 on the beast as a counterfeit Christ or prophet.”1119

1114 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 261. 1115 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 261. 1116 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 261-62. 1117 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 262. 1118 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 719. 1119Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 722. 289

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 5. Beale argues, “Any interpretative approach that attempts only a literal calculation of the number 666 is an endeavor to identify only one historical individual must be rejected.”1120 19. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. Yet again, we see Satan, i.e., the dragon, as only having corruption power and not creative power. Creative power belongs only to God and His Son. See Job 1:6-12. 2. According to Beale, “13:9-10 “describe the response that believers are to have to the situation of deception and persecution depicted in vv 1-8.”1121 3. Witherington is correct, “This number conveyed the notion that the Emperor was in thrall to, or in league with, the forces of chaos and darkness.”1122 4. Mounce brilliantly posits, “The beast has always been, and will be in a final intensified manifestation, the deification of secular authority.”1123 5. Beale indicates, “John used the Nero legend not to focus on an individual but to construct a history of succession of emperors paralleling the death, resurrection, and final return of Christ; according to Nero, the imperial power, are symbols for any state power that overreaches its proper limits by trying to grasp what properly belongs only to Christ and God. If this a viable analysis, it does not limit the symbolic meaning by applying it only to a first-century emperor. It allows for application to successive rulers. Someone like Nero, Domitian, Stalin, or Hitler would be prime historical examples of people that are expressions of the beast.”1124 6. Other

1120 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 726. 1121 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 704. 1122 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 185. 1123 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 246. 1124 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 725. 290

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 14:1-5 1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

1Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ ἀρνίον ἑστὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιών, καὶ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες ἔχουσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένον ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν. 2 καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῆς μεγάλης, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἣν ἤκουσα ὡς κιθαρῳδῶν κιθαριζόντων ἐν ταῖς κιθάραις αὐτῶν. 3 καὶ ᾄδουσιν ὡς ᾠδὴν καινὴν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο μαθεῖν τὴν ᾠδὴν εἰ μὴ αἱ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες, οἱ ἠγορασμένοι ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. 4 οὗτοί εἰσιν οἳ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν, παρθένοι γάρ εἰσιν· οὗτοι οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες τῷ ἀρνίῳ ὅπου ἂν ὑπάγῃ· οὗτοι ἠγοράσθησαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρχὴ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ, 5 καὶ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν οὐχ εὑρέθη ψεῦδος· ἄμωμοί εἰσιν.

INTRODUCTION 1. “The two parts of this chapter (vv. 1-5 and 6-20) are unified by the fact that firstfruits (14:4) imply a harvest(14:15-16). In the Hebrew Bible every firstborn, human or animal, belonged to the Lord (Ex 13:2), so the "firstfruits," or initial yield of every crop, were set aside as a sacrificial offering (for example, Lev 2:9-14; Neh 10:35- 37). God's portion of the harvest was given to God up front, as it were. In the New Testament, "firstfruits" is used as a metaphor for something given in advance, anticipating a greater benefit or "harvest" to come. This can be the resurrection of Jesus anticipating the resurrection of believers (1 Cor 15:23), the Spirit as a gift from God pointing to future resurrection (Rom 8:23), the first converts in a particular region holding out the promise of more converts to come (Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:15) or reborn Christians offering hope for the rebirth of God's creation (Jas 1:18).”1125 2. Witherington states, “Revelation 14:1-5 involve a complete contrast to what we have just heard. Here the real Lamb is standing on Mt. Zion and with him the 144,000 is probably a symbol for the whole people of God, both Jew and Gentile in Christ.”1126 3. The language is extreme and bipolaric, i.e., the followers of Jesus vs the followers of the beast. Both have marks on their foreheads. Beale states, “The immediate juxtaposition of the Lamb in 14:1 to the beasts of chapter 13 serves the contrast between the two sides.”1127 4. The 144,000 present as an army of saints ready to do the bidding of God.

1125 Michaels, J. Ramsey. Revelation (InterVarsity Press, Source: https ://www.biblegateway.com/resources/ivp- nt/Firstfruits-Harvest 1126 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 185. 1127 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 731. 291

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 EXEGESIS 1. 1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 1Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ ἀρνίον ἑστὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιών, καὶ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες ἔχουσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένον ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν. a. Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, i. According to Wilson, this is a “heavenly Mount Zion…the meeting point for the saints,”1128 and not a reference to Jerusalem. b. and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, i. Morris is correct that “144,000 stands for the whole church.”1129 c. having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. i. John is intentional focusing on the use of loyalty branding as a means of identifying those who follow Jesus and those who don’t. ii. Wilson states, “The names written on the foreheads of the 144,000 fulfills the promise given to the victors (3:12).”1130 1. Revelation 3:12, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” 2. Revelation 7:2-3, “2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” iii. Wilson posits, “Taw is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in the Old Hebrew script used during Ezekiel’s day [sixth century BC] until the New Testament period taw was written in the form of a cross (X). The Greek letter chi (C) was recognized as an equivalent to taw.”1131 iv. The Damascus Document, quoting Ezekiel, states that at the of the Messiah’s coming the only ones to be spared the sword are those marked by the taw (CD 19.12).”1132 1. See The Covenant of the Damascus, 9.10-13. “[[B |10| These shall escape at the end of the visitation\9, and they that remain will be delivered to the sword, when there will come the Anointed | *from Aaron and Israel\10. As it was at the end of the first visitation concerning which * He\11 spoke | through Ezekiel to mark a mark upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry\12, | but they that

1128 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 331. 1129 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 176. 1130 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 331. 1131 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 331. 1132 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 331. 292

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 remain will be delivered to the sword that avengeth the vengeance of the covenant\13.]] [[A = B]].”1133 v. Ezekiel 9:3-8, “3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. 4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men1134 who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple. 7 And He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city. 8 As they were striking the people and I alone was left, I fell on my face and cried out saying, “Alas, Lord God! Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?” vi. 2. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 2 καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῆς μεγάλης, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἣν ἤκουσα ὡς κιθαρῳδῶν κιθαριζόντων ἐν ταῖς κιθάραις αὐτῶν. 3. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 3 καὶ ᾄδουσιν ὡς ᾠδὴν καινὴν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο μαθεῖν τὴν ᾠδὴν εἰ μὴ αἱ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες, οἱ ἠγορασμένοι ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. a. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; i. New song (ᾠδὴν καινὴν)

1133 The Damascus Document, also called the Damascus Covenant or the Book of the Covenant of Damascus,[1] Cairo Damascus document (CD) or Damascus Rule, is an ancient Jewish document that some scholars suggest serves as a "bridge" document, connecting Judaism's post-exilic 'Enochian'-Essene majority to the asserted leadership of its radical minority Qumran–Essene community that was established in isolation near the shores of the Dead Sea.[2] It forms part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, found after 1947 near Qumran, but two fragments had already been discovered in 1897 in the Cairo Geniza. The Book of Covenant of Damascus. FRAGMENTS OF A ZADOKITE WORK, by S. Schechter (1910). Source: http ://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rak/courses/225/CD1910.html 1134 Keil and Delitzsch indicate “God commands the man provided with the writing materials to mark on the forehead with a cross all the persons in Jerusalem who mourn over the abominations of the nation, in order that they may be spared in the time of the judgment. The last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, had the form of a cross in the earlier writing.” See Keil, C. F. and F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol 9 Ezekiel and Daniel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1989), p. 129. Note, Mounce references Krodel, stating, “The sealing of God’s servants is based on Ezekiel 9, where God instructs a man with an inkhorn to place an X on the forehead of all those who are deeply troubled over the sins of Jerusalem in order to protect them from the judgment coming upon the city.” “The mark of Ezekiel 9:4 was the Hebrew tau, made like an X or +. Krodel notes that ‘to Greek Christians this sign would suggest the first letter of the name of Christ (the letter chi) or his cross” (182). 293

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. i. Who had been purchased (ἠγορασμένοι perfect passive participle of nominative plural of ἀγοράζω). ii. Wilson conjects the song “undoubtedly centers on redemption by the Lamb and deliverance from the beast.”1135 4. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 4 οὗτοί εἰσιν οἳ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν, παρθένοι γάρ εἰσιν· οὗτοι οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες τῷ ἀρνίῳ ὅπου ἂν ὑπάγῃ· οὗτοι ἠγοράσθησαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρχὴ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ, a. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. οὗτοί εἰσιν οἳ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν, παρθένοι γάρ εἰσιν· i. These 1. Each of the three descriptors is introduced by οὗτοί (these), which according to Beale, refers back to 14:3, οἱ ἠγορασμένοι (the ones who have been purchased).1136 ii. Chaste (παρθένοι noun nominative masculine plural of παρθένος). 1. Aune notes, “The term παρθένοι is unusual, for it is a term usually reserved for young women of a marriageable age, though virginity is not always a connotation of the word (Horsley, New Docs 4:221- 27). This masculine application of the term παρθένος is very rare and is certainly unknown before the first century A.D.”1137 So Morris who states, “This is an unusual term with regard to men.”1138 iii. Interpretive options: 1. Option 1: The 144,000 as Celibates and Virgins.1139 In this case, sexual expression within marriage is unholy and disqualifying for such inclusion in this spiritually elite group of 144,000 saints. a. Jesus was single. Jesus spoke cryptically about eunuchs. Mounce.1140 For example. Matthew 19:10-12, “10 The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

1135 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 332. 1136 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 737-38. 1137 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 811. 1138 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 177. 1139 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 266. 1140 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 266. 294

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 b. “Paul indicated he “wished all would be like him.” See 1 Corinthians 7:1, 32-35. c. Mounce indicates, “As early as the second century, Marcion had established a church solely for celibates. Origen, the great theologian and apologist, was said to have castrated himself to insure chastity.”1141 Bilateral orchiectomy drastically reduces the production of testosterones. d. Citing Tertullian, Ferguson notes, “The flesh is not, according to Marcion, immersed unless it be in virginity, widowhood, or celibacy, or has purchased baptism by divorce. (Against Marcion, 1.29.1).”1142 e. Against this view, consider: i. Mounce states, “The major difficulty with this interpretation, however, is that it implies that sexual relationships within marriage are defiling.”1143 See Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 7:1- 8; Ephesians 5:31-32. So Ladd who states, the view that sexual expression in marriage is “sinful or involving defilement… is a violation of the whole of Biblical theology.”1144 ii. Beale argues, “One problem with these literal views is that nowhere else does Scripture view sexual relations within the bond of marriage as sinful. Furthermore, if the 144,000 is a symbol for the entire people of God, that would mean that John requires celibacy for the whole church, which is improbable.”1145 iii. Furthermore, consider the language of Revelation 14:8, “And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of

1141 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 266. See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 6.8, “Whilst at this time Origen was performing the office of an elementary instructor at Alexandria, he also carried a deed into effect, which would seem, indeed, rather to proceed from a youthful understanding not yet matured; at the same time, however, exhibiting the strongest proof of his faith and continence. For understanding this expression, " There are eunuchs who have made themselves such (who have acted the eunuch) for the sake of the kingdom of heaven," in too literal and puerile a sense, and at the same time thinking that he would fulfil the words of our Saviour, whilst he also wished to preclude the unbelievers from all occasions of foul slander, it being necessary for him, young as he was, to converse on divine truth not only with men but with females also, he was led on to fulfil the words of our Saviour by his deeds, expecting that it would not be known to the most of his friends. But it was impossible for him, much as he wished it, to conceal such an act. And when it was at last ascertained by Demetrius, the bishop of the church there, well did he admire the courage of the deed ; and perceiving the ardour, and the soundness of his faith, he immediately exhorts him to cherish confidence; and at this time, indeed, urges him the more to continue in his work of instruction.” Source: https ://archive.org/stream/ ecclesiasticalhi00euse/ecclesiasticalhi 00euse_djvu.txt 1142 Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), p. 277. 1143 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 266-67. 1144 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 191. 1145 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 738. 295

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 the passion of her immorality,” argues against the interpretation that physical sexual immorality is in view here. 2. Option 2: The 144,000 as the Sexually Pure, i.e., no immoral sexual actions of any kind. a. Mounce argues, “While chastity [both before and after marriage] was a highly regarded virtue in the Christian community, it should not be elevated to the distinctive mark of the redeemed in heaven.”1146 3. Option 3: The 144,000 are Courageous Christian Young Men who were Martyred before Marriage. a. Aune notes, the 144,000 possibly represent martyrs.1147 b. Aune posits, “The terms παρθένος and παρθένικος are sometimes used of men in Jewish epitaphs (CIJ, 81, 242), though here it means simply that the deceased were unmarried when they died. This might suggest that the 144,000 were executed as young men and are designated παρθένοι because they died as yet unmarried.”1148 4. Option 4: The 144,000 as a Spiritual Army Preparing for Battle. a. Citing Caird, Witherington presents the following interpretation of the this text: i. “John is alluding to Psalm 2. ii. What is envisioned is the preparation of the army of the Lord for the final battle. iii. This would be a military role call such as in 1 Chronicles 4-7.”1149 b. Aune notes that the purity ritual requirements for holy war also apply to the priesthood and their abstinence requirements.1150 c. According to Bauckham, “The much misunderstood reference to the virginity of the 144,000 (14:4a) belongs to the image of an army. The followers of Christ are symbolized as an army of adult males who, following the ancient requirement of ritual purity for those who fight in holy war (Leviticus 15:16; Deut. 23:9–14; 1 Sam. 21:5; 2 Sam. 11:9–13; 1QM 7:3–6), must avoid the cultic defilement incurred through sexual intercourse. This ritual purity belongs to the image of an army: its literal equivalent in John’s ideal of the church is not sexual asceticism, but moral purity. But, just like the combination of the militaristic and sacrificial imagery for Christ in 5:5–6, so the image of an

1146 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 267. 1147 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 804. 1148 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 811-12. 1149 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 185, citing G. B. Caird, Revelation, 178-79. 1150 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 812. 296

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 army changes to that of sacrifice in 14:4b–5, and with it the image of the ritual purity of the Lord’s army changes to that of the perfection required in a sacrificial offering. The word which the NRSV translates ‘blameless’ (ἄμωμοί) is cultic terminology for the physical perfection required in an animal for sacrifice (Exodus 29:38; Leviticus 1:3; 3:1).”1151 i. Against this view, consider: 1. Beale states, “While possible, this does not account for the dominating metaphor for virginity, which is an essential part of the symbolism (note the explanatory clause introduced by γάρ).”1152 5. Option 5: The 144,000 as the Promised Bride of Christ, i.e., Christians who have resisted pagan worship (Rome and its religious- political system). a. Beale concludes, “In the final analysis, it is preferable to understand παρθένοι (‘virgins’) as a metaphor of all true saints who have not compromised in various ways with the world because they have remained loyal as a virgin bride to her betrothed (as in 19:7-9; 21:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2).”1153 b. Aune notes, παρθένος can be used “as a figurative term for the purity of faith of those who refuse to worship the beast.”1154 So Morris, “We should see the term [παρθένος] as symbolical.”1155 c. Witherington argues, “The 144,000 is probably a symbol for the whole people of God, both Jew and Gentile [male and female] in Christ.”1156 Beale notes, the idea of παρθένοι (‘virgin’) as a figure is “enforced even further by the fact that not only is Jerusalem as a bride based on the Old Testament (see 21:2) but ‘virgin’ is repeatedly applied to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (‘virgin of Israel’’ and similar phrases in 2 Kings 19:21; Isaiah 37:22; Jeremiah 14:17; 18:13; 31:4, 13, 21; Lamentations 1:15; 2:13; Amos 5:2). The Hebrew word of ‘virgin’ in the majority of passages is rendered in the LXX as παρθένος).”1157 d. Mounce posits, the 144,000 as those who “have resisted the seductions of the great harlot of Rome with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication (17:2).”1158

1151 Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), p. 78. Kindle Edition. 1152 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 738. 1153 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 739. 1154 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 812. 1155 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 177. 1156 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 185. 1157 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 739. 1158 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 267. 297

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 e. Witherington concludes, “Believers are not to give in to the great whore of Babylon (i.e., Rome) and to the adultery (i.e., idolatry) that she requires. The soldiers of the cross are expected to follow Christ unto death.”1159 Morris indicates, “the people in question have kept themselves completely free from intercourse with the pagan world system.”1160 Beale indicates, “In the Old Testament Israel’s idolatries and political and economic practices are pictured as ‘harlotry’ (Ezekiel 23; similarly Jeremiah 3:1-10; cf., Hosea 1:2). Israel’s idolatry was also referred to a ‘defilement’ in Isaiah 65:4; Jeremiah 23:15; 51:4; 1 Esdras 8:80[83]).”1161 f. Beale indicates, “That the group described in 14:1-5 is in contrast with the beast-worshipers in 13:11-18 also suggests that the idea of virgins is figurative, since the followers of the beast are guilty primarily not of immorality but of idolatry. Consequently, the followers of the Lamb are primarily characterized by loyalty to him and not idolatry of the beast, and virginity is one way of portraying that loyalty.”1162 So Malina and Pilch who states, “‘Fornication’ in the Israelite tradition is a usual synonym for ‘idolatry’.”1163 g. Physical expressions of human sexuality are “of no moment since the entire figure is to be understood symbolically.”1164 iv. Other b. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. οὗτοι οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες τῷ ἀρνίῳ ὅπου ἂν ὑπάγῃ· i. Follow ( present active participle nominative plural masculine of ἀκολουθέω). Beale observes, “The present participle phrase οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες refers to the saints’ characteristic of ‘following’ Jesus in their past life on earth, since it is parallel with their past lifestyle of not having been ‘polluted’ by the world (4a) and the condition of their redemption, which was accomplished in the past.”1165 1. Beale suggests that οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες points to the imitation of the faithfulness of Jesus in the context of suffering and persecution.”1166 c. These have been purchased from among men [males and females] as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. οὗτοι ἠγοράσθησαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρχὴ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ, i. Purchased (ἠγοράσθησαν aorist passive indicative plural of ἀγοράζω).

1159 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 186. 1160 Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 177. 1161 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 740. 1162 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 741. 1163 Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 185. 1164 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 267. 1165 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 741. 1166 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 741. 298

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 1. According to Fiorenza the use of the term ἀγοράζω more probably, the reference is to the ransom of prisoners of war, who were deported to the countries of the victors and who could be ransomed by a ‘purchasing agent’ of their own country.”1167 2. As mentioned above, Wilson notes, “ἀγοράζω is a term of the public marketplace. Every Greco-Roman city had a marketplace called the agora, or forum, where slaves would be bought and sold. Here the metaphor of the slave auction is used to describe Christ’s spiritual purchase of individuals for God (cf., Rev 14:4).”1168 ii. First fruits (ἀπαρχὴ noun nominative singular feminine of ἀπαρχή). 1. Aune observes ἀπαρχή as a reference to “devoted servants” of God and the Lamb.1169 2. Bauckham indicates, “The corresponding antecedent to the image of the grain harvest is in 14:4: the 144,000 ‘have been ransomed from humanity as first fruits for God and the Lamb’. The phrase recalls 5:9, addressed to the Lamb: ‘by your blood you ransomed for God [people] from every tribe and language and people and nation’. But now we learn that the followers of the Lamb, ransomed by his sacrifice, are to be themselves a sacrifice. Moreover, they are a specific kind of sacrifice: first fruits.”1170 3. Beale states, “‘Firstfruits’ (ἀπαρχή) elsewhere in the New Testament carries the same connotations with respect to new converts who were the first of many more to come [to faith in Christ] (cf., Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15; a textual variant in 2 Thess 2:13).”1171 4. Aune notes that ἀπαρχή is a term associated with cultic worship and the offering of a portion of the harvest to honor God.1172 5. Jeremiah 2:2-3 “calls the whole nation of Israel redeemed from Egypt ‘holy to the Lord, the first of his harvest.”1173 6. See Revelation 1:5; 3:14; Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:17. 5. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. 5 καὶ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν οὐχ εὑρέθη ψεῦδος· ἄμωμοί εἰσιν. a. And no lie was found in their mouth; i. See in the background Isaiah 53:9, “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.” ii. Beale presents that the idea of “no lie was found in their mouth” may point to the fact that they, like Jesus, ‘are faithful witnesses’ (cf., 1:5; 2:13).”1174 In other words, John is describing the 144,00 who refused to break their

1167 Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), p. 74. 1168 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 286. 1169 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 814. 1170 Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), p. 95. Kindle Edition. 1171 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 742. 1172 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 822. 1173 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 743. 1174 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 745. 299

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 promise, their vows of loyal to Jesus as Lord and Savior. See the denials of Peter as found in Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luk3 22:54-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27. So Wilson who states, “This group… does not lie about the Lamb.”1175 iii. See also: 1. 1 Timothy 6:11-16, “11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time— He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” 2. Hebrews 4:14, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” 3. Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” b. they are blameless. i. Blameless (ἄμωμοί adjective nominative plural masculine of ἄμωμος). The term ἄμωμος (‘blameless, without defect’), not unlike ἀπαρχή, is a word “associated with sacrificial offerings.”1176 ii. Beale states, “Because genuinely redeemed saints follow the Lamb, they take on the Lamb’s attributes.”1177 iii. “They have ‘followed’ him wherever his sacrificial example has led them.”1178

NOUTHETICS 1. Revelation 14:4, “Is not a exaltation of celibacy.”1179 2. Beale argues well that “The Apocalypse’s seven churches experienced incursion encouraging compliance with forms of idolatry like those in Paul’s Corinth. To acquiesce would be to deny Christ and commit oneself to another allegiance, which is spiritual immorality.”1180 3. In view of Revelation and its emphasis on Rome as representative of the world system that oppresses the followers of Jesus, Jennifer Burgess advises that we must be careful how we relate to governing authorities. Furthermore, she states, “Maybe one of our fatal flaws as

1175 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 332. 1176 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 823. 1177 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 745. 1178 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 745. 1179 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 185. 1180 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 741. 300

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 humans is that, historically, we have looked to the government to do and be what only God himself can do and be.1181

1181 Burgess, Jennifer. July 6, 2020. 301

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 14:6-20 6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

6 Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον πετόμενον ἐν μεσουρανήματι, ἔχοντα εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον εὐαγγελίσαι ἐπὶ τοὺς καθημένους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ φυλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ λαόν, 7 λέγων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Φοβήθητε τὸν θεὸν καὶ δότε αὐτῷ δόξαν, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα τῆς κρίσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσκυνήσατε τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν καὶ πηγὰς ὑδάτων.

8 Καὶ ἄλλος δεύτερος ἄγγελος ἠκολούθησεν λέγων· Ἔπεσεν, ἔπεσεν Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἣ ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς πεπότικεν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. 9 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος τρίτος ἠκολούθησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Εἴ τις προσκυνεῖ τὸ θηρίον καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ λαμβάνει χάραγμα ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτοῦ ἢ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, 10 καὶ αὐτὸς πίεται ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ κεκερασμένου ἀκράτου ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασανισθήσεται ἐν πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ ἐνώπιον ἀγγέλων ἁγίων καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου. 11 καὶ ὁ καπνὸς τοῦ βασανισμοῦ αὐτῶν εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων ἀναβαίνει, καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἀνάπαυσιν ἡμέρας

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© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 καὶ νυκτός, οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τὸ θηρίον καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴ τις λαμβάνει τὸ χάραγμα τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.

12 Ὧδε ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν, οἱ τηροῦντες τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν πίστιν Ἰησοῦ. 13 Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λεγούσης· Γράψον· Μακάριοι οἱ νεκροὶ οἱ ἐν κυρίῳ ἀποθνῄσκοντες ἀπ’ ἄρτι. ναί, λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα, ἵνα ἀναπαήσονται ἐκ τῶν κόπων αὐτῶν, τὰ γὰρ ἔργα αὐτῶν ἀκολουθεῖ μετ’ αὐτῶν.

14 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ νεφέλη λευκή, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν νεφέλην καθήμενον ὅμοιον υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου, ἔχων ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ στέφανον χρυσοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ δρέπανον ὀξύ. 15 καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ κράζων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῆς νεφέλης· Πέμψον τὸ δρέπανόν σου καὶ θέρισον, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα θερίσαι, ὅτι ἐξηράνθη ὁ θερισμὸς τῆς γῆς. 16 καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῆς νεφέλης τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐθερίσθη ἡ γῆ. 17 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς δρέπανον ὀξύ. 18 καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐκ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ὁ ἔχων ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρός, καὶ ἐφώνησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τῷ ἔχοντι τὸ δρέπανον τὸ ὀξὺ λέγων· Πέμψον σου τὸ δρέπανον τὸ ὀξὺ καὶ τρύγησον τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἤκμασαν αἱ σταφυλαὶ αὐτῆς. 19 καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ἄγγελος τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐτρύγησεν τὴν ἄμπελον τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μέγαν. 20 καὶ ἐπατήθη ἡ ληνὸς ἔξωθεν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν αἷμα ἐκ τῆς ληνοῦ ἄχρι τῶν χαλινῶν τῶν ἵππων ἀπὸ σταδίων χιλίων ἑξακοσίων.

INTRODUCTION 1. Mounce entitles this section as “Interlude: Visions of Final Judgment,”1182 which in my estimation, adumbrates once again at the theory of recapitulation. 2. This interlude will focus on the horrific judgment that will fall upon the unbelieving world, the worshipers of the beast.1183

EXEGESIS 1. 6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 6 Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον πετόμενον ἐν μεσουρανήματι, ἔχοντα εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον εὐαγγελίσαι ἐπὶ τοὺς καθημένους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ φυλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ λαόν, a. And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, i. Aune notes, “It is of interest that this is the earliest reference in Jewish or Christian literature to an angel (apart from cherubim and seraphim) flying. Even in Revelation 14:6, however, the flying angel is not necessarily described as winged.”1184 ii. “The first clear reference to angels (and demons) with wings is found in Tertullian Apol. 22.8.”1185 1. Tertullian (197-220 AD), Apology 22.8, “So, too, by an influence equally obscure, demons and angels breathe into the soul, and rouse up its corruptions with furious passions and vile excesses; or with

1182 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 269. 1183 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 269. 1184 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 824. 1185 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 824. 303

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 cruel lusts accompanied by various errors, of which the worst is that by which these deities are commended to the favour of deceived and deluded human beings, that they may get their proper food of flesh- fumes and blood when that is offered up to idol-images. What is daintier food to the spirit of evil, than turning men's minds away from the true God by the illusions of a false divination? And here I explain how these illusions are managed. Every spirit is possessed of wings. This is a common property of both angels and demons. So they are everywhere in a single moment; the whole world is as one place to them; all that is done over the whole extent of it, it is as easy for them to know as to report. Their swiftness of motion is taken for divinity, because their nature is unknown.”1186 2. b. having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, i. Eternal gospel (εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον). Note, there is no definite article. 1. Mounce indicates this εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον “is not the gospel of God’s redeeming grace in Christ Jesus but, as the following verse shows, a summons to fear, honor, and worship the Creator.” 2. It is even possible to understand, as Ladd posits, “The announcement of the end itself as a piece of good news…it will see the consummation of God’s redemptive purpose.”1187 3. Wilson presents an ancient version of a political gospel promoted by the proconsul Fabius.1188 This piece of Roman religious-political propaganda reads as follows: “It seemed good to the Greeks of Asia, in the opinion of the high priest Apollonius of Menophilus Azanitus: “Since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings [εὐαγγέλιον] for the world that came by reason of him,” which Asia resolved in Smyrna.”1189

1186 Translated by S. Thelwall, Scholar of Christ’s Cathedral, Canterbury. Source: http: //www.earlychristianwritings. com /text/tertullian01.html 1187 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 193. 1188 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 333. 1189 Note: “The Priene Calendar Inscription is an inscription in stone recovered at Priene (an ancient Greek city sited in Western Turkey) that uses the term "gospel" in referring to Augustus Caesar. It is called the Priene "Calendar" Inscription because it refers to the birthday of Augustus Caesar as the beginning of an era - the beginning of the gospel announcing his kingdom that heralded peace and salvation for his people - and a Roman decree to start a new calendar system based on the year of Augustus Caesar's birth was published. Calendar dating of history around a ruler is the principle upon which the Julian calendar and Gregorian calendars are based. The inscription features the term "gospel", which is the Old English translation of Greek εὐαγγέλιον, evangelion, meaning "good news". As exemplified in the Calendar Inscription of Priene, dated from 9 BC, this Koine Greek term εὐαγγέλιον was used at the time of the Roman Empire to herald the good news of the arrival of a kingdom - the reign of a king that brought a war 304

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 c. and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 2. 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” 7 λέγων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Φοβήθητε τὸν θεὸν καὶ δότε αὐτῷ δόξαν, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα τῆς κρίσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσκυνήσατε τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν καὶ πηγὰς ὑδάτων. a. According to Ladd, this gospel is associated with the end…summoning all men to repentance while there is yet time, before the last judgments fall and it will be too late.”1190 3. 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” 8 Καὶ ἄλλος δεύτερος ἄγγελος ἠκολούθησεν λέγων· Ἔπεσεν, ἔπεσεν Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἣ ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς πεπότικεν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. a. And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, b. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, i. Fallen, fallen is Babylon (Ἔπεσεν, ἔπεσεν). Wilson notes, “The second angel’s announcement about Babylon’s fall is proleptic because the city’s actual destruction is not seen until chapter 18. From heaven’s perspective, Babylon’s fall has already occurred.”1191 ii. Babylon (Βαβυλὼν). 1. Aune notes, “Babylon, a symbolic name for Rome, occurs here as the first of six occurrences in Revelation (see Revelation 16:19; 17:6; 18:2, 10, 21). Babylon and Rome are comparable because both were centers for world empires and both captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.”1192 “The conquest of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple by Babylon occurred in 587 B.C. and the conquest of Jerusalem by Rome occurred in A.D. 70.”1193 2. According to Wilson, “Babylon is used as a cipher in other contemporaneous Jewish literature (cf., 4 Ezra 14:46; 2 Baruch 11:1; Sib. Or. 5:143).” a. Consider the follow examples as cited: i. 4 Ezra 15:46, “And you, Asia, who share in the glamour of Babylon and the glory of her person.”1194 ii. 2 Baruch 11:1, “Moreover, I, Baruch, say this against you, Babylon: ‘If you had prospered, And Zion had

to an end, so that all people of the world who surrendered and pledged allegiance to this king would be granted salvation from destruction. The Calendar Inscription of Priene speaks of the birthday of Caesar Augustus as the beginning of the gospel announcing his kingdom, with a Roman decree to start a new calendar system based on the year of Augustus Caesar's birth. Into this context, the words of the Gospel of Mark are striking: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1 ESV) Jesus is thus heralded as the king who ends war by conquering people's allegiance, in contrast to the Roman Caesar (title). Source: https ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Calendar_Inscription_of_Priene 1190 Ladd, George E. A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), p. 193. 1191 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 333. 1192 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 829. 1193 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 830. 1194 http ://www.pseudepigrapha.com/apocrypha_ot/2esdr.htm 305

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 dwelt in her glory, Yet the grief to us had been great that you should be equal to Zion.”1195 iii. See also 1 Peter 5:13, “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.” iv. Wilson states, Peter’s “probably referent is Rome, the place from which he is writing. Historical tradition dates Peter’s martyrdom to the Neronic persecution of 65-66. This would place the writing 1 Peter before A.D. 70 and thereby attest to the use of Babylon for Rome before the destruction of the temple. Because of Rome’s persecution, the early church named their adversary Babylon, a city opposed to God and his people.”1196 3. Mounce, comporting with Wilson, notes, “The introduction of this symbolic reference without explanation assumes that the readers would understand the allusion.”1197 See also: a. Sibylline Oracle1198 5:14-149, “140 Himself speed from the West, and all the land Besiege and waste. But when he shall possess The height of power and odious reverence, He shall come, wishing to destroy the city Even of the blessed. And a certain king 145 Sent forth from God against him shall destroy All mighty kings and bravest men. And thus Shall judgement by the Immortal come to men. Alas, alas for thee, unhappy heart! Why dost thou move me to declare these things, b. Sibylline Orach 5:155-159, “155 A deluge, and it shall destroy the Persians, Iberians and Babylonians And the Massagetæ that relish war And trust in bows. All Asia fire- ablaze Shall to the isles beam brightly. Pergamos…” c. Sibylline Oracle 5:430-434, “430 Since thou wast angry towards a land beside Thermodon's streams. Rock-clinging Tripolis, Beside the waters of Mæander, thee Shall by the nightly surges under shore God's wrath and foresight utterly destroy.” 4. Aune indicates, “The fall of the urbs aeterna, the ‘eternal city,’ as Rome was designated, would have been virtually unthinkable for Romans (the sack of Rome by the Goths in A.D. 410 spurred Augustine to write The City of God in A.D. 413-26 to answer pagans who credited the disaster to the replacement of the old cult with the

1195 httpn://www.pseudepigrapha.com/pseudepigrapha/2Baruch.html 1196 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 333. 1197 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 271. 1198 Note: “this collection should more properly titled 'the Pseudo-Sibylline Oracles'. The original Sibylline Books were closely-guarded oracular scrolls written by prophetic priestesses (the Sibylls) in the Etruscan and early Roman Era as far back as the 6th Century B.C.E. These books were destroyed, partially in a fire in 83 B.C.E., and finally burned by order of the Roman General Flavius Stilicho (365-408 C.E.). 306

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 Christian religion).”1199 Note, “Jerusalem fell to Titus in A.D. 70.”1200 iii. The great 1. The phrase “Babylon the Great occurs four times in Revelation (14:8; 16:19; 17:7; 18:2; cf., 18:10, 21) and may have been drawn from Daniel 4:27.”1201 2. In “the Greek poetic tradition, ‘the great city’ was Troy.”1202 3. “In an encomium on Smyrna, Aelius Aristides gives the title ‘the great city,’ to the city of Smyrna (Or. 18.3).”1203 4. Aune indicates, “Rome was called princeps urbium, ‘the greatest of cities,’ in Horace Carmina 4.3.13.”1204 See Horace, “Romae principis urbium dignatur suboles inter amabilis vatum ponere me choros et iam dente minus mordeor invido.”1205 c. she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” i. she who has made all the nations drink of the wine 1. Certainly John has Jeremiah 51:7-9 in mind. Jeremiah writes, “Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad. 8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her! Bring balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. 9 We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven And towers up to the very skies.” ii. of the passion of her immorality.” τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας 1. Aune observes, “The term θυμός is used here meaning ‘intense desire’ and in v 10 meaning ‘fury, intense anger.” This play on words is one of the many instances of paronomasia in Revelation (see also 2:2[2x].22; 3:10; 18:6[3x], 20, 21; 22:18, 19).”1206 4. 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 9 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος τρίτος ἠκολούθησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Εἴ τις προσκυνεῖ τὸ θηρίον καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ λαμβάνει χάραγμα ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτοῦ ἢ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, a. Mounce argues, 14:9-11 “form a counter-proclamation to that of the image in chapter 13. There it was decreed that those who would not worship the image

1199 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 829. 1200 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 829. 1201 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 831. 1202 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 831. 1203 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 831. 1204 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 831. 1205 Q. Horatius Flaccus (Horace), Carmina. Translated by Paul Shorey, Gordon Lang, Paul Shorey and Gordon J. Laing, Ed, Source: http: //www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999. 02.0024%3Abook%3 D4%3Apoem%3D3 1206 307

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 should be killed and that those without the mark of the beast should be neither to buy nor to sell (13:15, 17).”1207 b. Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, c. “If anyone worships the beast and his image, i. Worships (προσκυνεῖ present active indicative third person singular of προσκυνέω). ii. Receives (λαμβάνει present active indicative third person singular of λαμβάνω). iii. We should not the singular is used and not the plural. d. and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 5. 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 10 καὶ αὐτὸς πίεται ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ κεκερασμένου ἀκράτου ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασανισθήσεται ἐν πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ ἐνώπιον ἀγγέλων ἁγίων καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου. a. he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 10 καὶ αὐτὸς πίεται ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ i. He also 1. Aune indicates, “Here the αὐτὸς, ‘himself,’ is emphatic (all eleven occurrences of καὶ αὐτὸς in Revelation are emphatic or intensive;l see 3:20; 6:11; 14:17; 17:11; 18:6; 19:12, 15[2x]; 21:3, 7; Mussies, Morphology, 169-70).”1208 ii. Drink (πίεται future middle indicative third person singular of πίνω). iii. “This wrath is often pictured in the Old Testament as a draught of wine (Job 21:20; Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-28).”1209 b. which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; c. and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone i. Tormented (βασανισθήσεται future passive indicative third person singular of βασανίζω). ii. Fire and brimstone. 1. Mounce indicates, “The torment of those who worship the beast is to be with burning sulfur – a figure taken from God’s judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Sulphur burns with an intense heat and produces an unpleasant smell).”1210 2. Wilson states, “burning Sulphur emits “a noxious, suffocating Sulphur dioxide gas.”1211 d. in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. i. Aune observes, “There is no parallel in early Jewish or early Christian eschatological scenarios for the eternal punishment of the wicked in the presence of the angels and the Lamb, understood to represent the Messiah (v 10c).”1212

1207 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 272. 1208 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 833. 1209 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 272-73. 1210 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 273 and n 19. 1211 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 334. 1212 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 835. 308

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Mounce states, “This torment takes place in the very presence of the Lamb and his holy angels. To suffer in the presence of the hosts of heaven is not to lessen the fierceness of the judgment but to make it more grievous. Christians had borne the shame of public derision and opposition.’ Soon their antagonists will suffer before a more august gathering.”1213 iii. Watching your opponent or enemy experience humiliation is in keeping with ancient Mediterranean honor-shame practices. There is profound honor in shaming ones enemies. iv. Malina and Pilch note, “The dishonor of this torment is underscored by the fact that it will take place in public.”1214 6. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 11 καὶ ὁ καπνὸς τοῦ βασανισμοῦ αὐτῶν εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων ἀναβαίνει, καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἀνάπαυσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τὸ θηρίον καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴ τις λαμβάνει τὸ χάραγμα τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ. a. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; i. In my estimation, this speaks of the imagery of eternal hell. Note the hint of the theory of recapitulation. ii. See Luke 16:22-26, “22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’” b. they have no rest day and night, i. As mentioned, the imagery her depicts a scene of eternal hell. ii. Beale states, “This analysis is supported not only by the fact that the temporal genitive ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός clearly refers to ceaseless activity enduring for eternity in 20:10, but by the identical sense being strongly implied in 7:15 and 4:8.”1215 iii. This language, according to Beale, explains the “intensity and duration of the torment of the devil, the beast, and the false prophet,”1216 and those who worship the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand.” c. those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

1213 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 273-74. 1214 Malina, Bruce J. and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), p. 186. 1215 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 764. 1216 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 764. 309

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 i. Aune argues, the phrase and whoever receives the mark of his name and the brand which consists of the number 666, “is a genitive of apposition, corresponding to the phrase τὸ χάραγμα τὸ ὄνομα, ‘the brand, the name,’ in 13:17, where τὸ ὄνομα is a nominative of apposition.”1217 7. 12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 12 Ὧδε ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν, οἱ τηροῦντες τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν πίστιν Ἰησοῦ. a. Here is the perseverance of the saints i. Perseverance (ὑπομονὴ noun nominative singular feminine of ὑπομονή). 1. Keener interprets ὑπομονή as a reference to the believers encouragement to stand firm or persevere in the God’s judgment of the wicked which validates their own vindication.”1218 b. who keep the commandments of God (τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ) i. c. and their faith in Jesus. i. 8. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” 13 Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λεγούσης· Γράψον· Μακάριοι οἱ νεκροὶ οἱ ἐν κυρίῳ ἀποθνῄσκοντες ἀπ’ ἄρτι. ναί, λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα, ἵνα ἀναπαήσονται ἐκ τῶν κόπων αὐτῶν, τὰ γὰρ ἔργα αὐτῶν ἀκολουθεῖ μετ’ αὐτῶν. a. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, b. “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” i. Aune indicates, “This is one of the seven beatitudes found in Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7). See: 1. Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” 2. Revelation 14:13, “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” 3. Revelation 16:15, “(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) 4. Revelation 19:9, “9 Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.” 5. Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” 6. Revelation 22:7, “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”

1217 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 835. 1218 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 375. 310

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 7. Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” ii. “This beatitude is formulated in the plural form as are those in 19:9 and 22:14 (and as are the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6:20-23). There seems to be no material difference between the singular and plural forms, for the beatitude in 20:6 begins in the singular and concludes in the plural.”1219 iii. This language may point to the 144,000 as being martyrs. iv. Beale contend that “The emphasis is on those ‘dying in the Lord,’ not on the precise manner of death.”1220 c. “Yes,” says the Spirit, d. “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” i. “If Christians remain loyal to the Lamb, they will suffer in the present, but afterward will gain a reward of eternal rest.”1221 9. 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 14 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ νεφέλη λευκή, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν νεφέλην καθήμενον ὅμοιον υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου, ἔχων ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ στέφανον χρυσοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ δρέπανον ὀξύ. a. Then I looked, and behold, b. a white cloud, c. and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, d. having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 10. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 15 καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ κράζων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῆς νεφέλης· Πέμψον τὸ δρέπανόν σου καὶ θέρισον, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα θερίσαι, ὅτι ἐξηράνθη ὁ θερισμὸς τῆς γῆς. a. And another angel came out of the temple, b. crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, i. Caird references that “many scholars have wanted to distinguish the harvest from the vintage: the harvest is the ingathering of the elect, the vintage the gruesome fate of their enemies and persecutors; and the reaping of grace is carried out by the Son of Man himself, whereas the reaping of wrath is delegated to an angel.”1222 c. “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 11. 16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. 16 καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῆς νεφέλης τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐθερίσθη ἡ γῆ. a. Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, b. and the earth was reaped.

1219 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 838. 1220 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 767. 1221 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 767. 1222 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 191. 311

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 12. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 17 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς δρέπανον ὀξύ. a. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, b. and he also had a sharp sickle. 13. 18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 18 καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐκ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ὁ ἔχων ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρός, καὶ ἐφώνησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τῷ ἔχοντι τὸ δρέπανον τὸ ὀξὺ λέγων· Πέμψον σου τὸ δρέπανον τὸ ὀξὺ καὶ τρύγησον τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἤκμασαν αἱ σταφυλαὶ αὐτῆς. a. Then another angel, b. the one who has power over fire, i. “‘The angel who had charge of the fire’ may allude to the Jewish conception of angels over various elements of nature (cf., 16:5).”1223 c. came out from the altar; d. and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, e. “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, f. because her grapes are ripe.” 14. 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 19 καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ἄγγελος τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐτρύγησεν τὴν ἄμπελον τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μέγαν. a. So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, i. Keener indicates, “Ancients normally diluted wine with two parts water to every part wine, except when they wished to get drunk.”1224 1. See Apollonius Rhodius, ““He spake, and holding a brimming goblet in both hands drank off the unmixed sweet wine; and his lips and dark cheeks were drenched with it; and all the heroes clamoured together and Idmon spoke out openly: "Vain wretch, thou art devising destruction for thyself before the time. Does the pure wine cause thy bold heart to swell in thy breast to thy ruin, and has it set thee on to dishonour the gods? Other words of comfort there are with which a man might encourage his comrade; but thou hast spoken with utter recklessness. Such taunts, the tale goes, did the sons of Aloeus once blurt out against the blessed gods, and thou dost no wise equal them in valour; nevertheless they were both slain by the swift arrows of Leto's son, mighty though they were.”1225

1223 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 377. See “Jub. 2:2; 1 En. 20:2; 60:12022; 66:1; 2 En. 5:1-2; 1QM 10.11-12; b. Pes. 118ab; perhaps Psalm 148:2-3. For the angel of fire, see Ps-Phil 38:3,” per Keener, 376 n 37. 1224 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 374. 1225 Apollonius Rhodius, 1.472-484. Apollonius Rhodius was a Greek epic poet and scholar of the library of Alexandria who flourished in the C3rd B.C. He was the author of a celebrated epic entitled the Argonautica which described the journey of the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. The key episodes of the myth were sourced from older poets such as Hesiod and Pindar. Apollonius Rhodius. Argonautica. Translated by Seaton, R. C. 312

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 2. Plutarch, Bride, 20, writes brilliantly of marriage. Notice how he compares the mingling of a husband and wife in the bonds of marriage with the mingling of wine with water. He writes, “Plato asserts that the state is prosperous and happy in which the people hear ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’ most rarely uttered, the reason being that the citizens, so far as in them lies, treat all things of real importance as common property. Much more should such expressions be eliminated from the married state; save that, as physicians tell us that blows on the left side of the body record the sensation on the right side, so, in the same way, it is a lovely thing for the wife to sympathize with her husband's concerns and the husband with the wife's, so that, as ropes, by being intertwined, get strength from each other, thus, by the due contribution of goodwill in corresponding measure by each member, the co-partnership may be preserved through the joint action of both. For Nature unites us through the commingling of our bodies, Fin order that, by taking and blending together a portion derived from each member of a pair, the offspring which she produces may be common to both, so that neither can define or distinguish his own or the other's part therein. Such a co- partnership in property as well is especially befitting married people, who should pour all their resources into a common fund, and combine them, and each should not regard one part as his own and another part as the other's, but all as his own and nothing as the other's. As we call a mixture ‘wine,’ although the larger of the component parts is water, so the property and the estate ought to be said to belong to the husband even though the wife contribute the larger share.”1226 b. and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. i. Keener posits, “Undoubtedly, the entire passage develops an image from Joel’s prophecy about judgment on the nations in the day of the Lord. God calls for the sickle to gather the ripe harvest and for the grapes of the nations’ wickedness to be trampled to fill his winepress (Joel 3:130; against Babylon, cf. Jeremiah 51:33, Jerusalem in Lamentations 1:15).”1227 1. Joel 3:13, “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.” ii. 15. 20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles. 20 καὶ ἐπατήθη ἡ ληνὸς ἔξωθεν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν αἷμα ἐκ τῆς ληνοῦ ἄχρι τῶν χαλινῶν τῶν ἵππων ἀπὸ σταδίων χιλίων ἑξακοσίων.

Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. Source: https ://www.theoi.com/Text/ ApolloniusRhodius1.html 1226 Plutarch Moralia, Advice to Bride and Groom 1.20. Source: http: //penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/ Plutarch/Moralia/Coniugalia_praecepta*.html. The work appears in pp 297-343 of Vol. II of the Loeb Classical Library's edition of the Moralia, first published in 1928. The Greek text and the English translation (by F. C. Babbitt) are now in the public domain pursuant to the 1978 revision of the U. S. Copyright Code, 1227 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 376. 313

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 a. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, i. Trodden 1. Aune posits, “The identity of the one who treads the winepress is also not made clear since the aorist passive verb ἐπατήθη, ‘was trodden,’ is extremely vague and may be the passivum divinum, i.e., the passive used as a circumlocution for the activity of God. However, in 19:15 it is the ride on the white horse (i.e., the exalted Christ returning with his heavenly armies in judgment) who treads the grapes in the winepress of God’s wrath.”1228 ii. What city? 1. Possible options are: a. A city in Asia Minor. b. Rome. c. Jerusalem. d. God’s heavenly city or the eschatological city of Mt. Zion in heaven. 2. Aune states, “The identity of the city is not specified, though the presence of the definite article may indicate that the city is Jerusalem (Lohmeyer, 129), and the treading of the grapes may be a metaphor for a final eschatological battle in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Joel 3:2, 12; Zech 14:2-4; 4 Ezr 13:33-35; 2 Apoc Bar 40.1; cf., Revelation 19:17-21; 20:7-9).1229 3. Beale argues the city is best understood as “the true city composed of saints and of the trampling as judgment of unbelievers.”1230 Beale bases his conclusion on the following reasons: a. First, “The last clause of v 19 continues the wine imagery of the divine wrath from v 10. If the same imagery continues now with the trampling of the winepress, it refers to judgment of unbelievers.”1231 b. Second, “The first part of v 20 is based on Joel 3:13b1232 together with Isaiah 63:2-3. In both Old Testament texts the trampling of the winepress is a picture of the judgment of unbelievers.”1233 i. Joel 3:13, “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.” ii. c. Third, “The context of the Isaiah allusion may provide additional help in identifying the city and the meaning of trampling. Isaiah 63:1-6 contrasts the protection of Zion with God’s judgment of the nations who have oppressed his

1228 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 847. 1229 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 847. 1230 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 1231 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 1232 I have corrected the typo in Beale’s text. The correct entry is Joel 3:13b. 1233 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 314

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 people. Therefore, thought it is not stated in this way, the overthrow of the nations implicitly takes place outside the holy city and not in the city.”1234 b. and blood came out from the wine press, i. According to Keener, “Wine was sometimes called ‘the blood of grapes’ (Genesis 49:11; cf., Deut 32:14); and as the red wine here deliberately evokes the gruesome image of human blood crushed out of maimed flesh.”1235 c. up to the horses’ bridles, i. Citing Bauckham, Aune indicates, “The earliest occurrence of this topos is found in 1 Enoch 100:3 (translated by Knibb, Enoch).”1236 See: 1. 1 Enoch 100.1-4, “1 And in those days in one place the fathers together with their sons shall be smitten And brothers one with another shall fall in death Till the streams flow with their blood. 2 For a man shall not withhold his hand from slaying his sons and his sons' sons, And the sinner shall not withhold his hand from his honoured brother: From dawn till sunset they shall slay one another. 3 And the horse shall walk up to the breast in the blood of sinners, And the chariot shall be submerged to its height. 4 In those days the angels shall descend into the secret places And gather together into one place all those who brought down sin And the Most High will arise on that day of judgement To execute great judgement amongst sinners.”1237 ii. Beale states, “Blood rising up to ‘the bridles of horses’ is figurative battle language and functions hyperbolically to emphasize the severe and unqualified nature of the judgment.”1238 iii. In view of the theory of cosmic dualism, i.e., that which is happening on earth is coterminously related to things happening and heaven, and vice versa, it is G. B. Caird who indicates, “Babylon’s atrocities and God’s retribution together go to make the double draught. From a earthly point of view it is Babylon who sheds the great river of blood by which the soil of her own territory is saturated and made drunk, but to the eyes of faith what is happening is that the cup which will send Babylon reeling to her doom is being prepared in the great winepress of God’s wrath.”1239 Beale posits, “If the city is Babylon the Great [Rome] (so ten times elsewhere in the Apocalypse), then the trampling could be the persecution of the saints. It would then be parallel with 11:2b, where ‘they trample the holy city’ refers to Christians persecuted like their Lord outside the apostate city of Jerusalem (cf., Hebrews 13:11-14).”1240

1234 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 1235 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 377. 1236 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 848. 1237 The Book of Enoch, by R.H. Charles, [1917], at sacred-texts.com. Source: https ://sacredtexts.com/bib/boe/ boe104.htm 1238 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 781. 1239 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 193. 1240 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 315

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 iv. However, Beale continues, “If the ‘city’ in 14:20 is the true, holy city (so fifteen times elsewhere in the Apocalypse), then the trampling is the punishment of unbelievers, which occurs outside the eschatological holy city of righteous saints.”1241 v. Keener states, “The blood flows high ‘outside the city,’ vividly portraying a horrible end for Babylon (14:20). The image of blood flowing in terrible streams became standard in ancient descriptions of wars, both historical and fictitious.”1242 vi. Beale concludes the city is the “true city composed of saints and of the trampling as judgment of unbelievers.”1243 d. for a distance of two hundred miles. σταδίων χιλίων ἑξακοσίων. i. The phrase σταδίων χιλίων ἑξακοσίων is literally translated 1600 stadia. ii. Beale indicates, “The number is the multiple of the squares of four and ten, both of which are figurative for completeness elsewhere in the Apocalypse. It could therefore be figurative for complete, worldwide judgment.”1244 iii. Beale notes, “The spreading of blood as far as ‘1600 stadia’ (approximately 184 miles or 300 kilometers) from the city may be an incidental number, though it corresponds with the approximate length of Palestine measured from Tyre to the border of Egypt (1664 stadia).”1245 iv. Or, as Beale observes, σταδίων χιλίων ἑξακοσίων, as a number, “could well have been thought of as the square of forty, a traditional number of punishment.”1246 v. Keener indicates “Some commentators also suggest a contrast here: Whereas the river of paradise flows from God’s throne (22:2) to a significant height (Ezekiel 47:4-5), the wicked will drown in a river of their own blood (14:20).”1247 vi. Caird writes, “No convincing explanation has been offered either for the bridles or for the distance. Sixteen hundred is a square number, but one which has no obvious prototype in the Old Testament. If we set any store by numerology, it provides some slight confirmation for the interpretation of the vintage as the great martyrdom, for the only square numbers in the book are the hundred and forty-four thousand of the army of the Lord (which is basically twelve times twelve) and the dimensions of the holy city (7:4; 14:1; 21:16).”1248 16. Other

NOUTHETICS 1. We must always keep in mind the encouraging intent of this book. As modern psychologized Western people, we read the text from a foreign perspective. This book

1241 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 1242 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 377-78. 1243 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 780. 1244 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 782. 1245 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 782. 1246 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 782. 1247 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 379. 1248 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 195. 316

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 (letter) was written by and for ancient Mediterranean people driven by a polytheistic, violent, dyadic, and honor-shame culture. 2. How would the Book of Revelation be read from the perspectives of believers in China, North Korea (considered the most dangerous place on earth to live for believers), Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, etc. 3. Aune states, “In the eastern Mediterranean, there was a great deal of political resistance to Roman domination, which found expression in various types of revelatory literature (in some instances earlier oracles against the Greeks were reapplied to the Romans). The Oracles of Hystasphe predicted the destruction of the Roman empire and the rise to power of the East (Bidez-Cumont, Mages 1:215-23; 2:359-77).”1249 4. Craig S. Keener is on point when he states, “The spirit of the Roman empire remains alive and well in today’s world – and empire that both claimed tolerance of many gods but suppressed dissent from those who preached the truth of the one God and his Son Jesus Christ. ‘It is all one by whatever name she be called – she is also Rome, Calcutta, London, New York – anywhere and everywhere that men worship something other than the true and living God.’”1250 5. Christians may take comfort that God will vindicate His people.

1249 Aune, David E. Revelation 6-16 in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 1998), p. 830. 1250 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 379, see n 46 for citation from Bowman, First Christian Drama, 91. 317

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 REVELATION 15:1-4 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. 3 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! 4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, 6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ μέγα καὶ θαυμαστόν, ἀγγέλους ἑπτὰ ἔχοντας πληγὰς ἑπτὰ τὰς ἐσχάτας, ὅτι ἐν αὐταῖς ἐτελέσθη ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. 2 Καὶ εἶδον ὡς θάλασσαν ὑαλίνην μεμιγμένην πυρί, καὶ τοὺς νικῶντας ἐκ τοῦ θηρίου καὶ ἐκ τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ὑαλίνην, ἔχοντας κιθάρας τοῦ θεοῦ. 3 καὶ ᾄδουσιν τὴν ᾠδὴν Μωϋσέως τοῦ δούλου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ᾠδὴν τοῦ ἀρνίου λέγοντες· Μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ τὰ ἔργα σου, κύριε, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ· δίκαιαι καὶ ἀληθιναὶ αἱ ὁδοί σου, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων· 4 τίς οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ, κύριε, καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι μόνος ὅσιος; ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐφανερώθησαν.

5 Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, 6 καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ πληγὰς ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ, ἐνδεδυμένοι λίνον καθαρὸν λαμπρὸν καὶ περιεζωσμένοι περὶ τὰ στήθη ζώνας χρυσᾶς. 7 καὶ ἓν ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων ἔδωκεν τοῖς ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλοις ἑπτὰ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. 8 καὶ ἐγεμίσθη ὁ ναὸς καπνοῦ ἐκ τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἄχρι τελεσθῶσιν αἱ ἑπτὰ πληγαὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων.

INTRODUCTION 1. Passover and Exodus typology are featured in Revelation 15. Wilson states, “The plagues against Egypt provide a prophetic background for the serial judgments of the seven bowls, with six of the ten being replicated in Revelation.”1251 2. According to Ben Witherington, “Revelation 15 is the shortest chapter in the entire book and introduces the section 15:1-16:21, in which the judgment of the seven bowl/cups is explicated.”1252 3. Arguing for type of recapitulation, Witherington states, it is better to “speak of overlap rather than of either simple threefold parallelism or progression.”1253

1251 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 338. 1252 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 202. 1253 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 202. 318

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 4. Wilson notes, “John’s next series of visions, which run through chapter 18, replays through the final events that usher in the two harvests.”1254 5. “In view of the typology of this section, these seven plagues are but the beginning of the end, for the devil is yet to be thrown into the lake of fire and God’s people have yet to experience the final redemption.”1255 6. Keener states, “The bowls, like the seals and the trumpets, are administered by angels. But John makes it clear that what he sees is a symbolic portrayal of judgments; like the woman and the dragon, this of scene of angels preparing to pour out bowls is a ‘sign’ in the heavens (12:1, 3; 15:1).”1256

EXEGESIS 1. 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ μέγα καὶ θαυμαστόν, ἀγγέλους ἑπτὰ ἔχοντας πληγὰς ἑπτὰ τὰς ἐσχάτας, ὅτι ἐν αὐταῖς ἐτελέσθη ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. a. Then I saw another sign in heaven, σημεῖον. i. b. great and marvelous, μέγα καὶ θαυμαστόν i. c. seven angels who had seven plagues, i. Witherington posits, “Rev 15:1 is a sort of introduction to the entire section that follows, for here the seven angels are introduced who will later pour out the seven bowls/cups of God’s judgments on the heathen.”1257 d. which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. i. Keener states, “Thus when he declares that these seven plagues are the ‘last plagues,’ completing God’s anger, he probably does not imply that Revelation arranges all judgments in literal chronological sequence (though this book does emphasize completion of God’s purposes; 10:7; 11:7).”1258 ii. Wilson notes, “The seven plagues are called ‘last’ because with them God’s wrath reaches its full measure.”1259 2. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. 2 Καὶ εἶδον ὡς θάλασσαν ὑαλίνην μεμιγμένην πυρί, καὶ τοὺς νικῶντας ἐκ τοῦ θηρίου καὶ ἐκ τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ὑαλίνην, ἔχοντας κιθάρας τοῦ θεοῦ. a. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, i. Sea of Glass 1. Regarding the sea of glass, Caird states, this is “the cosmic sea of John’s opening vision of heave, the chaos over which God established his authority at creation, without eliminating its power to resist him.”1260

1254 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 336. 1255 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 202. 1256 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 383. 1257 Witherington III, Ben. Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 202. 1258 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 384. 1259 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 336. 1260 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 197. 319

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 ii. Sea mixed with fire 1. Beale states, “Uppermost in [John’s] mind is the heaven analogue to the Red Sea in connection with the new exodus.”1261 2. Caird suggests, “By a slight shift of the kaleidoscope the ocean of blood through which the martyrs have passed in the great vintage now becomes a heavenly Red Sea, poised after the passage of the true Israel to engulf Israel’s persecutors.”1262 3. According to Caird, the image of a chaotic sea that was used by many of the Old Testament writers “was not an old wives’ tale, for it had become history in Israel’s escape from Egypt. There God had cut the sea in two and bruised the head of the primaeval dragon, and this was the solid guarantee of his ultimate victory over evil. John had therefore ample precedent for his interweaving of cosmic myth and Exodus typology. The sea that was to overwhelm the figurative Egypt was not other than the seven-headed ocean monster, which was that Egypt’s alter ego (cf., 13:1, “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names).”1263 iii. Mix/mingled with fire 1. Before judgment “could be poured out form the bowls of God’s wrath, it must be mingled with fire, the fire of God’s holiness and justice (cf., Revelation 8:5).”1264 b. and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. i. Victorious over the beast 1. Caird states, these are those of the seven churches, “who have responded to the call to faithful endurance and to the promises contained in the letters.”1265 ii. and his image and the number of his name 1. These believers refused to participate in the world system of humanism in its intense political forms, i.e., Rome and Babylon. iii. harps of gold 1. Regarding harps of gold, this reference indicates those who have been victorious as holding harps of gold and thus, according to Caird, are “identical with the hundred and forty-four thousand who appeared to the accompaniment of harp music with the Lamb on Mount Zion (14:1-5), and therefore with those who were sealed from the twelve tribes (7:1-8).”1266 3. 3 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and

1261 Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 789. 1262 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 196-97. 1263 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 197. 1264 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 197. 1265 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 198. 1266 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 197-98. 320

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 true are Your ways, King of the nations! 3 καὶ ᾄδουσιν τὴν ᾠδὴν Μωϋσέως τοῦ δούλου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ᾠδὴν τοῦ ἀρνίου λέγοντες· Μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ τὰ ἔργα σου, κύριε, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ· δίκαιαι καὶ ἀληθιναὶ αἱ ὁδοί σου, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων· a. And they sang the song of Moses, τὴν ᾠδὴν Μωϋσέως the bond-servant of God, τοῦ δούλου τοῦ θεοῦ i. According to Caird, “Like the Israelites after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1), the Conquerors sing the song of God’s servant Moses.”1267 b. and the song of the Lamb, καὶ τὴν ᾠδὴν τοῦ ἀρνίου λέγοντες c. saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, Μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ τὰ ἔργα σου i. Mounce states, these two songs, “Celebrate [God’s] righteous and redemptive activity beginning with Moses and culminating with the Lamb.”1268 d. O Lord God, the Almighty; κύριε, ὁ θεός, ὁ παντοκράτωρ e. Righteous and true are Your ways, δίκαιαι καὶ ἀληθιναὶ αἱ ὁδοί σου f. King of the nations! ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων· 4. 4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.” 4 τίς οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ, κύριε, καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι μόνος ὅσιος; ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐφανερώθησαν. a. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; i. According to Wilson, “The most unique gods worshiped in the Phrygian and Lydian regions of Asia (around Laodicea, Philadelphia, and Sardis) were called “Hosion kai Dikaion, ‘Holy and Just.’”1269 ii. Philip A. Harland indicates, a monument features Just “depicted as holding scales of justice and Holy holding a sceptre.”1270 b. For all the nations will come and worship before You, i. Caird argues against those assert there is no hope of repentance for the heathen. He states, “When the angel of the gospel calls on men to fear God, do him homage, and worship him, we cannot seriously believe that he is inviting them to do something which will make no iota of difference to their eternal destiny.”1271 ii. Caird view is well-taken, however, Wilson is correct in stating, “There is no idea of mass conversion present in this language. Such worship is based on obedience to God’s revealed righteousness and excludes the rebellious (Isaiah 66:24). Representatives of all nations who have triumphed over the beast are among these worshipers (cf., Revelation 7:9; 14:6).”1272 1. See Philippians 2:9-11, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that

1267 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 198. 1268 Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 285. 1269 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 337. 1270 Harland, Philip A. Greco-Roman Associations: Texts, Translations, and Commentary (Germany: Walter De Gruyer, 2014), p. 146. 1271 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 198-99. 1272 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 337. 321

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” c. For Your righteous acts have been revealed.” i. It is G. B. Caird who posits the meaning of this phrase as, “It was God’s decree that the death of the innocent should bear eloquent and persuasive witness to the redeeming love of the Lamb. By implementing this decree God has proved to the world that he is ‘both just and the justifier of anyone who puts his faith in Jesus’ (Romans 3:26).”1273 ii. Wilson states, “Song of Moses: ‘just (dikaios) and holy (hosios) is the Lord’ (The linkage of these words of divine attributes is also found in these words of David, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds” (Psalm 145:17).”1274 5. 5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, 5 Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, a. After these things I looked, b. and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, i. It is not the ark of the covenant that is emphasized here, an image of the mercy of God. Rather, the focus is now on the tabernacle of testimony, i.e., the Law of God. According to Caird, the time of mercy is over (note the last presentation of the gospel at Revelation 14:6-7), God’s law must now fulfill its purpose.1275 6. 6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. 6 καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ πληγὰς ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ, ἐνδεδυμένοι λίνον καθαρὸν λαμπρὸν καὶ περιεζωσμένοι περὶ τὰ στήθη ζώνας χρυσᾶς. a. and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, b. clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. i. Caird suggests “The sanctity of the law is emphasized first by the appearance of the angels in the vestments of priesthood, robed in linen and with gold girdles round their breasts, then by a complex allusion to a number of Old Testament passages about the glory of the Lord.”1276 7. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 7 καὶ ἓν ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων ἔδωκεν τοῖς ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλοις ἑπτὰ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. a. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, i. Gold bowls 1. Keener indicates, “The word used for ‘bowls’ of divine anger (phiale, 15:7; 16:1-17:1; 21:9) is also used for the bowls that contained the prayers of the saints (5:8), suggesting a connect

1273 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 199. 1274 Wilson, Mark. Revelation in the ZIBBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 337. 1275 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 200. 1276 Caird, G. B. The Revelation of Saint John (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 200. 322

© 2019 Christopher A. Perry, The Mark of the Beast, the Marks of a Christian, and the End of Time: The Book of Rev for the Church Today. Christ Church of Central Arkansas, 9732 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72113 between the saint’s intercession and their vindication through the world’s judgements, as with the trumpet plagues (8:3-5).”1277 b. who lives forever and ever. ζῶντος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. i. 8. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. 8 καὶ ἐγεμίσθη ὁ ναὸς καπνοῦ ἐκ τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἄχρι τελεσθῶσιν αἱ ἑπτὰ πληγαὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων. a. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; i. Exodus 40:34, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” ii. Isaiah 6:1-5, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” b. and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. i. Exodus 40:35, “Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” ii. 1 Kings 8:10-11, “It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

NOUTHETICS 1. Keener posits, “That the judgments in this passage issue from God’s presence and follow worship by the conquering martyrs (15:2-4) probably implies that God has chosen to release his acts in history in response to the worship of faithful saints.”1278

1277 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 384. 1278 Keener, Craig S. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 384. 323